South Africa has something the United States wants

South Africa is strategically positioned, making it an important geographical location for superpowers like the United States and China.

Since President Donald Trump took office, there has been increased tension between South Africa and the United States.

Trump slammed South Africa’s new Expropriation Bill and said minority groups are treated very badly in the country.

He signed an executive order halting United States foreign assistance to South Africa, significantly impacting many local programmes.

Trump also announced a program to resettle Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination.

Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have significant influence in the Trump Administration, also attacked South Africa’s race-based policies.

Rubio cited South Africa’s new land expropriation law as one of the reasons he is snubbing the G20 Summit in Johannesburg.

Musk, in turn, slated Ramaphosa for defending “openly racist ownership laws”, referring to black empowerment laws that differentiate on race regarding business policies.

More recently, Rubio said South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, was no longer welcome in the country.

This came after Rasool said that Trump and his Make America Great Again supporters are effectively a “supremacist” movement projecting “white victimhood.”

This escalated the ongoing feud between Washington and Pretoria, which could see South Africa lose many of the economic benefits it enjoys from the United States.

South Africa’s African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) membership is at serious risk, and the country can face tariffs and even sanctions.

Many stakeholders and experts, including renowned economist Dawie Roodt, said South Africa should mend its relationship with America.

“Donald Trump is the most powerful man in the world. He is in charge of the biggest economy in the world. Whatever he says or does will greatly impact South Africa,” Roodt said.

Gayton McKenzie, Patriotic Alliance leader and Minister of Sport, Art, Culture and Recreation, shared Roodt’s view.

McKenzie said the United States has a right to ask South Africa questions about local policies as it gives the country billions.

“When somebody gives you billions, and there is something they are unhappy about, it is their right to tell you there is a problem,” he said.

Why South Africa became so prominent in the United States

The United States’ focus on South Africa surprised many people, as it seemed to have come out of the blue.

However, Joel Pollak, an influential American editor with close ties to South Africa, explained that it is not unexpected, as South Africa has a strategic geographical location.

He explained that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call to many nations that imperialism was not a thing of the past.

“Geography is as important today as when the British took over the Cape,” Pollak said in an interview with BusinessTech.

South Africa occupies important trade routes. “The Chinese have been trying to control international trade,” he said.

He added that other opponents of the United States have been able to stifle trade by hampering shipping through the Red Sea.

Trump has taken an interest in numerous strategic points globally, including Greenland and Gaza, which is near the Suez Canal.

Pollak added that Trump took an interest in human rights in South Africa in his first term, which continued in his second term.

He spoke out against expropriation in 2018, and South Africa’s new Expropriation Act has escalated the issue.

Pollak explained that South Africa’s domestic policies have made the country a problem for the United States.

“South Africa should be an ally of the democratic West. Instead, it is behaving in a fashion which is more aligned with failed states and China, Russia, and Iran,” he said.

This means apart from South Africa’s geographic relevance, its domestic policies has put it on the United States’ radar.

Simon’s Town a key geopolitical point

Simon’s Town, a small town in the Western Cape, has become a key geopolitical point in an international battle between the United States and China.

Simon’s Town is located on the shores of Simon’s Bay in False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula.

It is home to Naval Base Simon’s Town, the South African Navy’s largest base, providing support functions to Fleet Command.

Despite Simon’s Town’s tranquil and quaint exterior, its location makes it a key geopolitical point in an international battle between the United States and China.

“The reason Simon’s Town is important globally is the same reason South Africa has been important for hundreds of years,” Pollak said.

He explained that Simon’s Town is situated near the point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans come together.

It has achieved elevated importance due to the Indo-Pacific’s role in international relations and its prominence in trade and military affairs.

“It remains important. Although it is a small port, it can be expanded. It is an important naval station in the Indo-Pacific.”

He added that there is great interest in what China might do if it gains more influence on the African continent.

China has a pattern on the continent where it lends money to African countries with unfavourable terms.

When these countries cannot pay, China will seize key assets in these countries, including ports, airports, mines, and infrastructure.

“There is a real concern that South Africa’s closeness to China could lead to it taking over key strategic assets important to the local economy,” he said.

Another possibility is that China can take over military installations that are important to maintain peace worldwide.

Pollak said the United States wants to create a peaceful global environment which favours economic growth and prosperity.

China, in comparison, wants to control its sphere of influence, whether it is in the Western Pacific or the Indian Ocean. Simon’s Town is a key point in this endeavour.