KEDIBONE PHAGO
US President Donald Trump has already signed over 50 executive orders within two weeks in office. This is unprecedented for a US president in a 40-year period.
The US Constitution makes provision for the president to exercise executive power over their government to ensure implementation of public policies. This is often processed through a written directive that instructs a particular government department to implement a law with clear specifications. Through executive orders, the president intervenes to enforce implementation of a specific law or even fine-tune certain policy parameters of an existing law. Executive orders may be required during emergencies or war situations so that the inherent delays embedded within the lawmaking process are circumvented. Trump is not your typical career politician but an exasperated businessman who was able to realize political fortunes of the highest order to preside over the US government. It is a well-known fact that he is not even hiding that he is playing right-wing politics, which thrives on hate, divisions, and ignorance. In one of his recent speeches, former President Joe Biden considered the Trump administration as the government of oligarchs. This is also in reference to the role of South African-born Elon Musk, who serves as a shadow Vice President to Trump, clearly obscuring the role of James David Vance. But it is the convergence and complicit disinformation of Musk and AfriForum that needs to be considered a major factor in the executive order signed by President Trump to sanction South Africa.
The Axis of Evil
The Axis of Evil concept was used by former US President George W. Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address in reference to the governments of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, which he claimed were supporting terrorism following the September 11, 2001, attack on the USA by al-Qaeda.
In the context of US sanctions against South Africa, it is now centered on the relationship between Trump, Musk, and AfriForum. This is apt as disinformation is key to influencing critical decisions negatively impacting the relationship between Pretoria and Washington DC. The executive order to sanction South Africa was signed in complete ignorance of the role of the US embassy in South Africa or any meaningful engagement between the two nations. It was also apparently delivered to the government of South Africa on X, a social media platform owned by Musk. This decision to sanction South Africa is scary and carries many implications for both South Africans and Americans, disproportionately so, to say the least. Interestingly, the first casualty is the main perpetrator, AfriForum, which has realized post facto that the executive order has made provision for their refugee status in the US. This outcome shows their actions are already backfiring on AfriForum itself. They have already issued media statements declaring they are not emigrating to the US. For a country like the US to arrive at this sloppy public policy decision shows that the Trump administration’s actions have undermined well-established and tested diplomatic processes. AfriForum needs to take bulk responsibility as their disinformation game dates as far back as 2016 during the 45th Presidency of Donald Trump. It is obvious that they are now red-faced and embarrassed. Their disinformation game has demonstrated their lack of intellectual honesty, integrity, and capability to do basic scenario mapping as a civic society movement. We know that they thrive on a fear-mongering approach to scare white people in South Africa and elsewhere about imaginary land grabs and mistreatment of white people. They often overreact at the slightest mistake or provocation by any black person who raises a critical voice or issue regarding historical injustices and how present-day government intervention is needed to address such issues. They maintain a victimhood mentality and are looking for sympathy from the international community instead of soberly engaging with South Africa’s developmental challenges. They want to maintain separate development at all costs under the democratic government despite our constitutional provisions on diversity, human rights, and inclusive society. They want their own enclaves and institutions even amid social malaise that South Africans are facing, such as poverty, inequality, corruption, and unemployment, among others. They do not want to form part of the collective solution but prefer to judge people based on their race. To quote Martin Luther King Junior:
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Soul-searching Options for South Africa
It is clear that the executive order against South Africa needs to be unpacked and studied carefully regarding its potential impact on the economy. The reality is that the US is one of South Africa’s major trading partners. This means there is a need to find meaningful ways to mitigate the potential impact, and the South African government needs to be swift in this intervention. We can no longer be slack but need to find homegrown ideas that are practical to invigorate our economic activities and strengthen our public institutions. One thing is certain: this requires South Africans to go to the drawing board to unite the country and consolidate our public institutions so that they work for citizens. Our municipalities and SOEs need to be prioritized to ensure that they work for citizens. This means we need to build capacity at an alarming speed if we are to weather the storm against these US sanctions. We must never forget that we have consistently surpassed Brazil as the most unequal society in the world. We therefore need every instrument we can use to mitigate that before we are plunged into persistent civil unrest by poor people if we fail to mitigate the US sanctions on our country.
Nkosi Sikelel’ iSouth Africa!
- Kedibone Phago is Director of the School of Government Studies, North West University. He writes in his personal capacity.
