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South African Official Floats Cutting U.S. Off from Minerals After Trump Aid Threat

HeadlineFeb 03, 2025

President Trump has threatened to cut off funding to South Africa, the home country of Elon Musk. In a post online, Trump wrote, “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY.” Trump was referring to a land reform law in South Africa where the country’s white minority still owns the vast majority of farmland 30 years after the end of apartheid rule. South Africa’s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe responded to Trump’s threat earlier today.

Gwede Mantashe: “You passed an exploration act, therefore Trump will withhold funding to South Africa. And I said, ’Let’s mobilize Africa. Let’s withhold minerals to U.S.’ That is it. If they don’t give us money, let’s not give them minerals.”

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