Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has brushed off former U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to cut aid to South Africa, asserting that the country and the continent should use their mineral wealth as leverage in global negotiations.
Speaking at the 2025 Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, Mantashe responded to Trump’s claim that South Africa was “confiscating land” and his warning that the U.S. would withhold funding.
“Africa must recognize its strengths and take control of the growing global demand for minerals,” Mantashe said. “Some of my colleagues in government are worried about geopolitics, fearing Trump’s threat over the Expropriation Act. But I say, let’s not be immobilized—let’s withhold minerals from the U.S. If they won’t give us money, we won’t give them minerals.”
His remarks were met with applause as he emphasized that Africa is not merely a recipient of aid but a resource-rich continent capable of negotiating on its own terms.
The Expropriation Act, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month, does not mandate land confiscation. However, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday, alleging that South Africa was engaging in land confiscation and “treating certain classes of people very badly,” calling it a “massive human rights violation.” He vowed to halt all U.S. funding to South Africa until a full investigation was conducted.
Mantashe urged African nations to be unapologetic about using their resources strategically. “If we allow fear to dictate our actions, we will collapse with vast minerals still at our disposal. Africa is the world’s richest mining jurisdiction—we must recognize this power and use it to our advantage.”
He also criticized the global trade imbalance, highlighting how China dominates the chrome industry by stockpiling raw materials from Africa while producing more finished goods than any African nation. “We export raw commodities while China builds an industry. Then, when they flood the market with chrome, prices drop, and our mining companies struggle, even though they are the biggest producers,” he said.
The Presidency later issued a statement refuting Trump’s allegations, reaffirming South Africa’s commitment to constitutional democracy, justice, and equality. It clarified that the Expropriation Act is a legally guided process aimed at equitable land reform, not an instrument of confiscation.
The statement also downplayed the impact of Trump’s funding threat, noting that the U.S. provides no substantial financial aid to South Africa outside of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which supports 17% of the country’s HIV/AIDS programme.
While Trump’s remarks have reignited debate over land reform, Mantashe’s stance signals a growing push for Africa to assert itself in global economic negotiations.
