Trump's war on South Africa

Time - “We will not be bullied,” South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa emphatically told his nation’s Parliament on Thursday.

“We are witnessing the rise of nationalism, protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests and the decline of common cause,” Ramaphosa said during his State of the Nation address. “But we are not daunted to navigate our path through this world that constantly changes. We will not be deterred. We are, as South Africans, a resilient people.”

While he did not mention any bully by name, Ramaphosa’s remarks came just days after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cut all funding to South Africa, alluding to the long-running false narrative that white South Africans are being mistreated by the nation’s post-apartheid government. 

Trump and his allies, particularly South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, have ramped up their rhetoric against South Africa in apparent reaction to the recently passed Expropriation Act of 2024, a controversial law aimed at solving the country’s longstanding land ownership inequality problem. The law has drawn criticism for supposedly risking and disregarding private property rights—particularly those of South Africa’s white minority—as it permits land seizures by the state without compensation.

Trump has similarly put “anti-white” policies in the U.S. in his new administration’s crosshairs, cracking down on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-related initiatives across the federal government and private sector.