Give MAGA a try’ | US escalates war of words with Lamola
Relations between Pretoria and Washington sank to a new low on Friday after a US government department accused SA of failing its people, while politicians get richer and more citizens look overseas for a better future.
The remarks come days after International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola told Parliament the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement was opposed to a range of progressive causes.
“We know that the US, the MAGA movement, is very clear to attack black people,” Lamola said.
“We know what they stand for… they stand against the human rights of women and LGBTQI communities.
“It is driven by a particular ideology.”
He also questioned whether members of the Democratic Alliance aligned themselves with the movement and its views.
In a scathing post on X aimed at Lamola, the US state department’s Bureau of African Affairs pointed to SA’s high unemployment, recent evacuations of foreign nationals and the “Kill the Boer” chant, before declaring: “If caring about your own citizens is MAGA, SA might want to give it a try.”
The Bureau of African Affairs also wrote: “Ghana and Nigeria just airlifted their citizens out of your country.
“Thousands of South Africans are fleeing to America to escape your government’s left-wing policies.
“Unemployment still remains at 33% while you and corrupt government elites get rich while promoting race-based laws and chanting ‘Kill the Boer’.
“If caring about your own citizens is MAGA, SA might want to give it a try,” the bureau added.
The unusually sharp statement is the latest sign of worsening tensions between Pretoria and Washington under US President Donald Trump.
Relations between the two countries have been strained for months over SA’s foreign policy positions, race legislation, claims of discrimination against Afrikaners and Pretoria’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The US post also comes as both Ghana and Nigeria have raised concerns about the treatment of their citizens in SA following a recent wave of anti-immigrant tensions and attacks.
This week, Ghana repatriated nearly 300 of its citizens from SA, while more than 800 reportedly registered for voluntary evacuation flights.
Nigerian authorities have also expressed concern and considered similar measures.
The South African government has repeatedly condemned attacks on foreign nationals and rejected claims that xenophobic violence is official government policy.
Lamola has held talks with counterparts across the continent and insisted South Africa is prepared to account for the situation before the African Union.
The latest clash also lands against the backdrop of Washington’s controversial refugee programme for white South Africans.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced that it would increase refugee admissions by 10,000 places specifically to accommodate more white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, claiming they face racially motivated persecution.
Pretoria has strongly rejected those claims as unfounded.
Meanwhile, political analyst and international relations expert Dr Seshupo Mosala of North-West University described the Bureau of African Affairs’ comments as an escalation of already strained relations between South Africa and the United States.
“It’s an escalation and it’s very undiplomatic,” Mosala said, arguing that concerns between governments are ordinarily addressed through diplomatic channels rather than public exchanges on social media.
He said the remarks also raised questions about policy coherence within the Trump administration at a time when efforts have been made to repair relations between Pretoria and Washington.
“We have seen [President] Cyril [Ramaphosa] going to America, wanting to mend relations and so on.
“Now, when his State Department says stuff like this, escalating already fragile relations, it’s a problem. It’s a huge problem.”
Mosala said South Africa could not ignore the significance of its relationship with the United States, given its economic and political influence globally.
“The reality of the matter is that this is one of the biggest economies in the world, the most powerful nation on earth.
“You wouldn’t want to continuously be on their bad side, especially on the basis of your economic relations and trade relations,” he said.
IOL Politics
