ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has come out swinging in response to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to slap a 30% tariff on South African goods, calling the move an affront to national sovereignty.
“South Africa is not a branch of the United States,” Mbalula said firmly, defending the country’s right to shape its own policies without bowing to international pressure. “We have our own president, our own policies, and our own identity.”
The tariffs, announced as part of Trump’s broader protectionist stance, have sparked concern among trade experts and South African exporters—but Mbalula directed equal frustration toward some South Africans living abroad, accusing them of badmouthing the country on foreign soil, then returning to blame the ANC for international fallout.
“You run overseas, speak ill of your country, then come back and pretend to be surprised when we face backlash,” he said. “That hypocrisy must stop.”
With South Africa now caught in a brewing trade dispute with one of its key global partners, Mbalula’s message is clear: this is a sovereign nation—and it won’t be bullied, by Washington or its own citizens.
