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A prominent member of South Africa’s ruling ANC party has reaffirmed the nation’s sovereignty amid escalating tensions with the United States regarding race relations and a new land policy.
“We are an independent country, and we will protect our sovereignty. We are not a territory of the United States,” declared ANC National Chair Gwede Mantashe.
This statement follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of a recent expropriation law in South Africa. In February, Trump signed an executive order asserting that the law could enable the South African government to confiscate agricultural land from ethnic minority Afrikaners without compensation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the law, stating that it aims to ensure equitable public access to land.
While the expropriation law does permit the government to take land without compensation, it is restricted to specific situations.
Trump’s executive order also proposed that Afrikaners could qualify as refugees in the United States, highlighting their purported status as “victims of unjust racial discrimination.”
During a speech at the Freedom Day celebration in Mpumalanga, Mantashe criticized South Africans who have urged Trump to “punish” the nation, adding, “Those who are urged to seek refuge abroad are refusing to leave. They should go.”
Public discussions have also arisen on social media, notably on Elon Musk’s X platform, where he referred to South Africa’s property ownership laws as “racist.”
Despite the abolition of apartheid, white South Africans, constituting a minority, still control a significant portion of the country’s land and wealth.
In a bid to address lingering tensions, South Africa appointed a special envoy to the U.S. earlier this month. Mcebisi Jonas has been tasked with promoting the country’s diplomatic, trade, and bilateral objectives, according to Ramaphosa.
This development follows the expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador Ebrahim Rasool from Washington, who accused Trump of engaging in “dog whistle” politics.
Last month, representatives from Orania, an all-white separatist community established by Afrikaners post-apartheid, traveled to the U.S. in hopes of gaining recognition as an autonomous state. A spokesperson from the South African foreign ministry informed Reuters that Orania is not an independent entity and remains subject to South African laws.
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