South Africa has been at the receiving end of a sustained attack by Washington over unsubstantiated claims about the so-called persecution of “white people in South Africa”. The White House has imposed higher tariffs, banned South Africans from participating in the G20 while the US holds the presidency of the forum, and engaged in a relentless disinformation campaign against the country. No-one would have anticipated that his second coming as the leader of the free world would have led to prolonged diplomatic tensions between the two countries, which have historically enjoyed a sound relationship.
As soon as Trump appointed South African-born billionaire Elon Musk as head of the department of government efficiency (a temporary federal initiative to maximise productivity and reduce red tape), it was clear there would be sustained pressure on Pretoria from Washington. Musk has been trying to launch Starlink, his internet service company, in South Africa but has taken issue with laws requiring him to have a broad-based BEE partner to operate in the country. South Africa riled the US by signing into law the Expropriation Act, which Trump said would “enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic-minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation”.
The February order revealed the Americans were also furious about the “aggressive positions” South Africa had taken towards the US and its allies. These included South Africa accusing Israel (and not Hamas) of genocide in the International Court of Justice, as well as reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop its commercial, military and nuclear capabilities.
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