The Trump administration wants special carveouts to local legislation for US companies looking to invest in the African nation.
Communications & Digital Technology minister Solly Malatsi responded with a directive allowing foreign firms to compensate by being allowed to help implement local infrastructure projects. The move is expected to open the door to SpaceX Starlink operations in South Africa.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said “the door is now open” for other new agreements. The US reportedly wants access to South Africa’s strategic mineral mining operations, for example, but wants the minerals processed in the US, not locally.
South Africa has proposed imports of large quantities of LNG from the US.
The May 21 White House meeting between Presidents Trump and Ramaphosa turned into a tension-filled drama after Trump alleged that a “white genocide” was taking place in South Africa, and thrust videos, photos and documents purporting to show the systematic killings of white farmers (including footage of a mass burial in the DRC, and photos from a 2020 protest mischaracterized as graves) in Ramaphosa’s face.
