Appealing to US for leverage damages Afrikaner cause at home
Writer says SA-US relations at an all-time low because US has seen fit to do political bidding for Ernst Roets and far-right companions.
The United States' administration, under Donald Trump, is disregarding the principle of sovereign equality in its dealings with South Africa. In 2026, governments face shared challenges that cannot be resolved individually, yet the Trump administration has sent a list of "five asks" to South Africa, effectively undermining bilateral relations.
This behavior is reminiscent of an imbalanced view of a country that has its "sell-by date" approaching. The administration's "asks" are based on the representations of a far-right faction in South Africa, ignoring the universal truths that South Africa represents. This approach, while offering short-term attention, undermines the very constituencies these organizations claim to represent.
It shifts the focus away from fellow citizens and towards foreign actors who are not accountable to South African voters. Such a strategy is self-defeating in the long run. The Afrikaner community, with its legitimate concerns, is being portrayed negatively by this approach, with South Africans viewing the Afrikaner group as yearning for a past that has resulted in the most unequal society in the world.
The path forward for South Africa is not to submit to U.S. demands but to engage internally, before involving foreign powers. Political organizations are most effective when they build trust domestically, rather than borrowing power from abroad. However, for Roets and the Trump administration, short-term gains are all that matter, disregarding the long-term consequences of international cooperation beginning with countries negotiating as equals.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
