South Africans are resilient and will not be bullied, says President Ramaphosa, image Eyewitness News
(The Post News) – President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed rising tensions with the United States in a speech to the nation on Thursday, indicating that his nation will not be frightened by outside influences.
While he did not name U.S. President Donald Trump specifically, Ramaphosa’s comments appeared to be a direct response to Trump’s threats earlier this week.
“We are witnessing the rise of nationalism and protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests and the decline of common cause,” Ramaphosa told Parliament in Cape Town. “But we are not daunted. We will not be deterred. We are a resilient people. We will not be bullied. We will stand together as a united nation and we will speak with one voice in defense of our national interests, our sovereignty, and our constitutional democracy.”
The statement was met with applause and cheers from members of parliament and attendees of the address..
The backdrop to Ramaphosa’s remarks was a threat from Trump, who vowed on Sunday to halt all U.S. funding to South Africa. Trump’s comments came in response to a new land expropriation law passed by the South African government in December. The law allows the government to expropriate land from private owners, a move Trump criticized on his Truth Social platform. He claimed South Africa was “confiscating land” and mistreating certain groups of people, though he did not specify which groups or provide evidence of his allegations. Trump also labeled the country’s leadership as engaged in “massive human rights violation.”
The South African Government has widely defended the law, saying that it targets underused property and aims to redistribute resources for the public good. Even though Ramaphosa did not specifically address Trump’s claims in his speech, government officials have stressed that no land has been seized under the law so far and that it includes protections against unpredictable land seizures.
Ramaphosa’ spokesperson dismissed Trump’s statements as “misinformation,” and further rebutted claims made by Elon Musk, the South African-born CEO of Tesla, who has criticized the government’s policies as anti-white. Musk, who left South Africa in the late 1980s, has previously suggested that the land expropriation law disproportionately targets the country’s white minority.
Trump’s threat to cut funding was part of a broader move to freeze most global aid for 90 days, including hundreds of millions of dollars allocated to South Africa’s large-scale HIV/AIDS program. South Africa has one of the world’s largest HIV/AIDS initiatives, a programme that provides critical services to millions. Ramaphosa expressed concern over the freeze but reassured the public that the government was exploring alternatives to maintain basic health services.
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