On Thursday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared that his country “will not be bullied,” responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threat to cut off funding over South Africa’s land reform legislation.
Trump criticised South Africa, saying they were taking land away from people and treating certain groups unfairly. He was talking about new laws that aim to fix historical unfairness in land ownership between racial groups, though he didn’t provide any proof for his claims.
In his yearly speech to the nation, Ramaphosa responded (though he didn’t mention Trump by name). He said: “We are witnessing the rise of nationalism, protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests and the decline of common cause.” He added, “We will stand together as a united nation, and we will speak with one voice in defence of our national interests.”
Read Also: Ramaphosa denies Trump’s claims of land confiscation
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also joined in the criticism. He said he wouldn’t attend an important meeting called the G20 summit in Johannesburg. What’s significant here is that South Africa made history by becoming the first African country to lead the G20, a group of the world’s major economies.
The country is now run by two political parties working together. This happened because the African National Congress (the party that’s been in power since the end of apartheid) lost some of its power and had to team up with its main rival, the Democratic Alliance.
Looking to the future, Ramaphosa has plans to boost the country’s economy. He wants to fix state-owned companies that provide electricity and transportation and invest in infrastructure. The goal is to get the economy growing faster than 3%, though right now its central bank expects it to grow by 1.8% this year.
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