KEY POINTS
- Mnangagwa says South Africa is being punished for its policies.
- South Africa rejects U.S. claims, calling them misinformation.
- Zimbabwe’s president compares U.S. pressure on South Africa to its own experiences.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has criticized the United States’ decision to cut aid to South Africa, saying the move is part of a broader trend of punishing African nations for pursuing their own national interests.
Speaking to reporters in Harare after returning from a regional summit in Tanzania, Mnangagwa said South Africa is facing the same external pressures Zimbabwe has experienced for years.
“We shall pursue what we think is best for our countries,” Mnangagwa told journalists on Saturday night. “South Africa has been punished not for doing anything against any country, but for doing what they think is best for themselves. That was the case with Zimbabwe.”
Moreover, the aid cut follows South Africa’s decision to bring a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and allegations that South Africa’s land reform policies discriminate against white farmers.
South Africa pushes back against U.S. claims
South Africa has rejected the allegations made in Trump’s executive order, with Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola dismissing the decision as based on misinformation.
“We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation,” Lamola said.
Trump’s executive order cites South Africa’s Land Expropriation Act as a policy that discriminates against white farmers.
However, South African officials maintain that land expropriation under the constitution is permitted only through specific conditions which include underutilized land or properties that present public safety threats.
South Africa-US relations are deteriorating, as Pretoria officials maintain that diplomatic pressure is directed at them merely because of their international positions.
A familiar pattern of Western pressure
Mnangagwa compared South Africa’s situation to Zimbabwe’s long-standing tensions with Washington, saying both nations have faced pressure from Western powers for their policies.
“Both South Africa and Zimbabwe are seasoned boys in the struggle for independence and freedom, and the imperialists can do what they do,” he said.
Furthermore, Zimbabwe has faced decades of economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies, largely in response to land reforms initiated in the early 2000s.
According to New Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa suggested that the latest U.S. actions against South Africa are part of the same pattern.
As tensions between the U.S. and South Africa continue to rise, African leaders are calling for greater regional unity to push back against external influence.
