By Zukile Majova
- We are not daunted. We will not be deterred.
- We are a resilient people. We will not be bullied.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent a strong message to US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk: we will not be bullied.
Trump and the South African-born billionaire have spent the past week intimidating the Ramaphosa government and threatening to withdraw funding to the country.
As a direct result of Trump’s announcement of a freeze of US aid for HIV and Aids, South Africa has lost 17% of the funds to respond to the pandemic.
This means the country has lost R8.2-billion in direct funding from the USA.
Trump claimed South Africa was targeting whites, saying “they’re taking away land, they’re confiscating land, and actually they’re doing things that are perhaps far worse than that”.
Musk, since buying Twitter and changing it to X, has been spreading misinformation that is often peddled by local rightwing organisations that claim there is an ongoing genocide of white farmers in South Africa.
On Sunday, Trump said his government was conducting an investigation into South Africa’s Expropriation Act and threatened to withdraw any future funding to the country.
The Ramaphosa government has interpreted this as a form of bullying by the world superpower.
Delivering his State of the Nation Address in the Cape Town City Hall, Ramaphosa reiterated that South Africa was a Constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law.
“We won’t be deterred, we are resilient, we will not be bullied. We will stand together in defence of our national interest, our sovereignty and national interests.”
Ramaphosa dispelled claims that there was widespread violation of human rights in the country.
“As South Africans, we stand for peace and justice, for equality and solidarity. We stand for non-racialism and democracy, for tolerance and compassion.
“We stand for equal rights for women, for persons with disability and for members of the LGBTQI+ community.
“We stand for our shared humanity, not for the survival of the fittest,” said Ramaphosa.
Pictured above: President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the 2025 State of the Nation address.
Source: X
