US Intimidation is Failing to Undermine SA’s Global Stature

Zamikhaya Maseti

The hosting of the G20 Leaders' Summit this weekend by South Africa has once again illuminated an enduring truth in the global political economy. South Africa remains the strategic gateway to the African continent.

This reality has not faded despite internal turbulence and external pressures. It is reinforced by the way global powers compete for influence in Africa, each driven by its own ideological, economic, and security considerations.

The symbolism of world leaders gathering on South African soil was a reminder that Pretoria remains a pivotal player in shaping continental diplomacy and global South relations. This stature is both an asset and a burden because it invites partnerships and adversaries in equal measure.

It is within this context that Donald Trump’s renewed conservative Republicanism must be understood.

Trump returns to office with an aggressive reassertion of U.S. power, framed through the lenses of protectionism, transactional engagement, and a deep suspicion of global institutions. His Africa strategy is shaped not by long-term development commitments, but by geopolitical contests with China, the security interests of Israel, and a growing tide of conservative nationalism in Washington.

Trump’s outlook reduces Africa to a space of competition rather than cooperation, and it is within this paradigm that South Africa becomes both a target and a theatre of strategic contestation.

Trump’s conservative Republican bloc has increasingly relied on a network of allies and ideological partners to extend its influence across the African region. One of the most striking manifestations of this strategy has been the deepened diplomatic involvement of Israel on the continent. The opening of Israeli embassies in Kenya and elsewhere is not a simple bilateral expansion.

It carries a deeper geopolitical significance because it aligns with Trump’s worldview of consolidating conservative strongholds globally. The strategy is subtle in its presentation but deeply political in its intent, positioning Israel as a frontline partner in advancing a United States agenda in Africa without direct American overexposure.

This is an extension of a flawed geopolitical approach that seeks to fragment the African multilateral consensus by creating pockets of influence that respond to Washington’s priorities. It misunderstands the complexity of African politics and the rise of a new continental confidence anchored in the African Union’s developmental agenda.

It also misreads the growing multipolar character of global governance. Africa is no longer a passive recipient of global influence but a contested and increasingly assertive actor shaping international narratives.

Trump returns to office under circumstances very different from his earlier term. The most notable difference is the scale of China’s global push. Trump’s reciprocal tariffs strategy was intended to discipline China and correct the structural trade deficit between Washington and Beijing.

Instead, China has responded with a strong and highly coordinated defence that has diminished the impact of United States tariffs and deepened China’s strategic expansion in key markets. Nowhere is this more evident than in the automotive industry.

China has mounted an aggressive and disciplined strategy that is frustrating the continued Western domination of the automotive sector. Chinese electric vehicles and low-cost models are flooding global markets and restructuring global supply chains.

The speed of this expansion has left many Western economies scrambling to protect their industries through tariffs, import quotas, and incentives for domestic production. Yet the reality remains that Chinese automotive firms are reshaping the global market landscape and are doing so with increasing confidence.

This global shift has clear implications for Africa and South Africa in particular. South Africa’s automotive sector is deeply integrated into global value chains and is one of the country’s most important industrial pillars. It is within this space that Trump’s reciprocal tariffs have generated serious concern.

South Africa finds itself navigating a complex environment where the United States seeks to protect its markets while China expands aggressively into new territories. The arrival of affordable Chinese vehicles in African markets has already begun to reconfigure consumer preferences and industrial planning across the continent. This is not a temporary distortion but a deeper structural shift that will define the future of Africa’s industrial trajectory.

The broader challenge for South Africa is that these global tensions unfold at a time when the country is expected to lead Africa through its G20 presidency. This leadership responsibility requires diplomatic clarity and a firm understanding of the rapidly changing global political economy.

South Africa must balance its deep historical ties with the West, its strategic partnership with China, and its commitment to the African agenda. It must do so while defending its sovereignty against external attempts to shape its political orientation.

Trump’s Africa strategy is not built on development ambitions or long-term economic integration. It is built on transactional engagements, ideological conservatism, and tactical alliances that serve the United States' domestic political interests more than continental development priorities.

Africa is viewed through the prism of competition with China and through a security framework shaped by Middle East politics. This approach is deeply limiting because it reduces African agency and misunderstands the profound shifts underway in African regional integration, industrialisation, and governance reforms.

The African Continental Free Trade Area is gradually transforming the continent into an integrated market with its own industrial ambitions. African states are actively pursuing new partnerships with the global South and strengthening diplomatic ties with emerging economies.

The continent is also demanding a greater voice in global institutions and has secured its seat at the G20 table as a permanent member. These developments signal the arrival of a new African epoch that cannot be managed through the old methods of external influence and ideological imposition.

South Africa must position itself at the centre of these continental strategies, using its G20 platform to articulate a coherent African voice on global governance, financial reform, climate justice, and industrialisation. It must leverage its position as a gateway to Africa while defending the sovereignty of the continent against divisive global strategies.

Trump’s return to power should not induce panic but must sharpen South Africa’s strategic clarity. The country must recognise that global powers will always attempt to shape Africa’s future according to their own interests. The duty of African leadership is to resist reductionist narratives and assert the continent’s own developmental priorities.

Trump’s Africa strategy will intensify geopolitical competition on the continent, but it will also present opportunities for Africa to demonstrate unity and strategic maturity. South Africa must lead by strengthening African agency, deepening continental cooperation, and ensuring that external engagements serve the broader developmental objectives of the continent.

* Zamikhaya Maseti is a political economy analyst and holds a Magister Philosophae(M.Phil.) in South African Politics and Political Economy from the erstwhile University of Port Elizabeth, now Nelson Mandela University.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.