South African President: We won’t be intimidated by Trump
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said his country won’t be intimidated, following criticism from US President Donald Trump of his government over land seizure through a new law it passed last month.
In a speech, Ramaphosa criticized the rise of nationalism, protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests, and the decline of the common cause, stressing that his country is not afraid, and that the South African people are a resilient people.
Trump has said earlier this week that South Africa is expropriating land through a law signed by Ramaphosa last month that states that the government may, under certain circumstances, decide not to provide any compensation for property seized in the public interest.
South African-born American billionaire Elon Musk has accused Ramaphosa’s government of having overtly racist property laws, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has joined the chorus of critics, announcing he won’t attend G20 talks in South Africa later this month, accusing the host government of an “anti-American” agenda.
The land issue in South Africa is highly divisive, with most agricultural land still owned by whites three decades after the end of apartheid.
