Questions have been raised about the role that South Africa-born tycoon Elon Musk is playing in the negative posture that the United States (US) government has taken against South Africa.
Musk has an influential role in American politics because of the large amount of money he spent in funding the Donald Trump campaign.
On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa reacted to Trump’s threats of cutting foreign aid to South Africa due to alleged land seizures.
He denied that land had been confiscated. Ramaphosa said South Africa is a “constitutional democracy” that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice, and equality.
However, Musk replied to Ramaphosa on X, asking why South Africa has “openly racist land ownership laws”.
This led to speculation that Musk was influencing Trump’s decisions.
Speaking to The Citizen on Monday, Koffi Kouakou, a senior researcher at the University of Johannesburg for Africa-China studies, said this could be true.
“Musk has previously expressed apprehension about anti-white sentiments in South Africa, referencing controversial political actions and rhetoric.
“He may be whispering in President Trump’s ear as an advisor about South Africa,” he said.
In the 2024 election cycle, Musk emerged as the most significant individual political donor, contributing approximately $277 million to support Trump’s re-election campaign.
“That’s more than a quarter of a billion US dollar. A lot of money, he is leveraging now,” Kouakou said.
He said South Africa should expect the next few years under the Trump presidency to be difficult.
“They have their own agenda and the agenda is against South Africa, and we all know President Trump’s prejudices against Africa,” he said.
Kouakou said South Africa’s role in the war between Israel and Palestine has also influenced Trump’s attitude towards the country’s government.
“A lot of Trump supporters, people who funded his campaign, the Zionist groups and people who are part of Israel in the US, they are really angry, and they will push President Donald Trump to really place enormous pressure on South Africa, all the way until he leaves office as the president of the United States,” he said.
Kouakou said it is wise for the South African government to start creating strategies that will enable the country to deal with whatever the Trump administration throws at it.
“Instead of running for holidays, South African politicians should have been coming up with a response to a tough, rough, brutal, and straightforward Donal Trump administration.
“Until they do that, we are going to have to constantly justify South Africa’s position on domestic issues. Now the president has to explain himself like a child to America,” he said.
Read the full story here: US funding threats: Is Elon Musk influencing Trump’s decisions on SA?
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