South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has firmly defended the country’s sovereignty in the face of increasing tensions with the United States. ANC National Chair Gwede Mantashe emphasized South Africa’s independence and resistance to foreign interference during his address at the nation’s Freedom Day celebrations. “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,” Mantashe stated on Sunday.
The tensions between South Africa and the US have been escalating, particularly over South Africa’s new land expropriation law. Signed into law in 2023, the legislation allows the South African government to seize land without compensation, but only under specific circumstances. US President Donald Trump has been outspoken against the law, accusing it of targeting ethnic minority Afrikaners and potentially seizing their agricultural property without compensation. In response, Trump issued an executive order in February that characterized the law as a form of racial discrimination and even opened the possibility for Afrikaners to seek refuge in the US.
In his address, Mantashe criticized South African citizens who have supported Trump’s stance, urging those who wish to leave to take up his offer. “Now they are told to go there and be refugees, they are refusing. They must go,” he said.
Further complicating matters, tensions spilled onto social media, with entrepreneur Elon Musk, a prominent South African-born figure, labeling the country’s land ownership laws as “racist.” South Africa’s white minority still holds a majority of the country’s private land and wealth, a legacy of apartheid, despite the dismantling of the racist system decades ago.
To address the diplomatic rift, South Africa has appointed Mcebisi Jonas as a special envoy to Washington, tasked with advancing the nation’s trade and diplomatic interests. This follows the expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, after he accused Trump of engaging in “dog whistle” politics.
Mantashe, however, remains committed to a vision of unity, suggesting that communities such as the all-white separatist town of Orania could integrate with Black South Africans in the future. “Black people must go and build there, and we mix them,” he remarked, emphasizing that peace, not hatred, is the key to building a prosperous nation.
