Tshediso Matona, the Commissioner of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Commission, has expressed concern over the growing tension between South Africa and the United States, arguing that it represents an attempt to reverse the progress made since the end of apartheid. He believes that the backlash, particularly from the U.S., is a strategic move to undermine the democratic gains of South Africa and potentially revert the country to a state of white minority rule.
Matona’s comments come on the heels of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of the Expropriation Bill into law in January 2024. The law is seen as a significant step toward addressing South Africa’s history of land inequality, allowing for the expropriation of land without compensation. While it is viewed as a critical piece of legislation to right the wrongs of the past, the move has drawn sharp criticism from the United States, particularly under the leadership of former President Donald Trump. Trump imposed sanctions on South Africa, including cutting financial aid, following the bill’s passage. Matona contends that these actions are an attack on South Africa’s sovereignty and a direct challenge to the country’s constitutional commitment to equality and justice.
“The backlash is fundamentally about trying to overthrow the governance of the Republic,” Matona said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika. He stressed that this external pressure seems designed to reinstate white supremacy and undermine the country’s post-apartheid transformation. According to Matona, the measures being implemented, including preferential procurement, are meant to uplift those who were unfairly disadvantaged under apartheid, and the external criticisms ignore the country’s constitutional mandate to build a more just and equitable society.
The situation has also sparked a legal response from the Jacob Zuma-led uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, which has opened a case of treason against the South African lobby group AfriForum. MK Party members claim that AfriForum’s actions—particularly its influence on U.S. policy—have spread false information about South Africa’s land reform policies. The controversy has deepened with AfriForum’s involvement in pushing for U.S. sanctions over the land expropriation issue, leading to accusations that their actions are destabilizing the nation’s transformation efforts.
In a controversial move, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order in response to the land expropriation law, accusing the South African government of carrying out “egregious actions” and seizing agricultural land from ethnic minorities without compensation. Trump argued that the law would exacerbate violence and discrimination against landowners, particularly Afrikaners, and undermined efforts to establish equal opportunity in South Africa. He also pointed to South Africa’s foreign policy stance on Israel and Iran as further reasons for the sanctions, claiming that these positions threatened U.S. national security.
Matona and other South African officials view these moves as an attempt to reassert foreign influence over the country’s sovereignty, calling into question the legitimacy of external pressure on South Africa’s domestic policies. As the debate continues, South Africa’s leaders remain steadfast in their commitment to rectifying past injustices, despite the growing international backlash.
