Trump is scheduled to meet with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday.
THEO DE JAGER, via Ine Bester, [email protected]
Theo de Jager is chair of the Southern African Agri Initiative and former president of the World Farmers’ Organisation. See recent video of him dismissing the existence of a “genocide” against white South Africans as the Trump administration charges.
PATRICK BOND, [email protected]
Bond is distinguished professor of sociology at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.
He said today: “Donald Trump is by far the most openly corrupt man in power in recent world history; here’s a record (covered by Forbes of all outlets) of the last few months by a mainstream Democrat. So what happens on Wednesday, when he hosts another corporate tool — South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, who was Glencore’s main local partner in crime until 2015, the email instigator of the 2012 Marikana Massacre.” (See Bond’s piece in The Nation from 2018: “For South Africa’s New President, ‘Black Economic Empowerment’ Is All About Personal Enrichment.”)
“So although Pretoria’s Hague-centric Palestine solidarity (forgotten when it comes to Glencore-Motsepe’s massive coal sales to Israel to empower the genocidaires) probably can’t really be sacrificed aside from ‘dropping the megaphone‘ (which was already done), we can expect Ramaphosa to offer Trump:
1) offshore oil and gas drilling-rights gifts to ExxonMobil, Chevron, etc;
2) Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service access to SA without the 30 percent black partner (with no restrictions on looting our personal data), and more concessions on other affirmative-action investment regulations and land reform;
3) openings for Trump family-fortune building in various luxury sites;
4) no complaints — or even discussion — about the U.S. wrecking Gaza, the world climate, public health, food and other humanitarian relief and world trade; and hence.
“Of course I hope I’m wrong about all four…”
Bond’s recent interview, “BRICS nations and Israel: Hype, Hope and Helplessness” states: “South Africa’s profiteers include an arms merchant who’s a bastion of the Zionist establishment — Ivor Ichikowitz — and he’s had deals with Elbit, deals that supply fascistic governments in Latin America — Ecuador’s army — with not only military vehicles, but Elbit souping them up for communications. … The other big problem, though, is coal — which is very open. … And Glencore plus Ramaphosa’s brother-in-law join coal suppliers which provide Israel with about 20 percent of its grid-based energy.” Bond has written extensively, critiquing BRICS, see: “Both the BRICS and Bandung Revivalism Need Tough Critiques — Not Quasi-Cults.”
IPA senior analyst Sam Husseini argues that charges against South Africa from the Trump administration are largely a retaliation for South Africa invoking the Genocide Convention against Israel at the ICJ. See piece from Decensored News: “VIDEO: State Dept Asked for Evidence of ‘Genocide’ Against White South Africans.”