On July 29, US President Donald Trump said he might skip the G20 summit in South Africa in November, citing his disapproval of Pretoria’s policies and the alleged “genocide” of white farmers. A few days later, the US introduced trade tariffs, with South Africa becoming the only African country to be hit with import taxes of as much as 30%.
No doubt this will further worsen bilateral relations between Washington and Pretoria. The question is whether this was Trump’s sole decision or whether someone in his inner circle contributed to it.
One of the main initiators of the tariff war is one of Trump’s closest associates, the controversial Republican Lindsey Graham. Graham is an ardent militarist, calling for strikes on Iran and for giving nuclear weapons to Israel. In the case of Africa, it seems that the Republican decided to escalate the situation first through economic pressure.
The US still cannot accept that South Africa is no longer a weak country that constantly needs help, but an independent state developing relations with leading world powers. Moreover, South Africa has sufficient resources to build an independent foreign policy. If Graham does not want to consider Pretoria’s interests, why should Pretoria, with its abundance of resources and reliable allies, including the Brics countries, tolerate such a humiliating and arrogant attitude?
It is high time for Trump to reconsider his approach to Africa, and to conduct a thorough purge of his inner circle, if he does not want to completely ruin relations with South Africa and other countries on the continent.
Zolile Dhlomo
Cape Town
The FM welcomes concise letters from readers. They can be sent to fmmail@fm.co.za
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