ANC Defends South African Sovereignty Amid Rising US Tensions

Tensions between South Africa and the US escalate as ANC chair Gwede Mantashe defends the country's sovereignty amidst US President Trump's criticism of land reform policies and immigration implications for Afrikaners.

South Africa's ruling ANC party has vocally affirmed its sovereignty in light of escalating tensions with the United States, primarily surrounding issues of race relations and a contentious new land expropriation law. At a recent event marking Freedom Day, ANC National Chair Gwede Mantashe emphasized South Africa's status as a sovereign nation, stating, "We are a free country, we're a sovereign country. We're not a province of the United States and that sovereignty will be defended."

The situation came to a head when US President Donald Trump criticized South Africa's expropriation law in February, branding it as a policy that unjustly allows the government to seize land owned by ethnic minority Afrikaners without compensation. This led Trump to sign an executive order facilitating the potential admission of Afrikaners into the US as refugees, defining them as "victims of unjust racial discrimination."

President Cyril Ramaphosa has maintained that the new law is intended to promote equitable access to land, despite permitting compensation-free land seizures under specific conditions. In response to domestic calls for penalties against South Africa from Trump, Mantashe rebuked critics who suggested that South Africa should face consequences or accept refugee status, stating, "Now they are told to go there and be refugees, they are refusing. They must go."

Public discourse surrounding these issues has also progressed into social media, with tech mogul Elon Musk voicing concerns on his platform X, labeling South Africa's land ownership regulations as "racist." Ownership of the majority of private land and wealth remains disproportionately held by the white minority, a lingering consequence of the past apartheid regime.

In an effort to ease the strained relations, South Africa appointed Mcebisi Jonas as a special envoy to the US, aiming to bolster diplomatic, trade, and bilateral priorities following the expulsion of South Africa's Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool after he accused Trump of engaging in "dog whistle" politics.