‘No money, no minerals’ – Mantashe hits back at Trump

Mantashe

Cape Town – Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, has called for a united African front against mineral exploitation.

He suggested that Africa should withhold minerals from the US in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to cut funding to South Africa over the Expropriation Act.

Speaking at the 2025 Mining Indaba, Mantashe emphasised that Africa should leverage its mineral wealth for its own benefit rather than being dependent on foreign funding.

“We have this standing threat that yah, because you passed an exproration Act, therefore Trump will withhold funding to South Africa. And I said lets mobilise Africa, lets withhold minerals to US…If they don’t give us money, let’s not give them minerals. The reality is they take our minerals but say they are withdrawing funding,” said Mantashe.

“We have minerals in the continent, and therefore, we have something that we have. We are not just beggars. We must just use that endowment to the benefit as a  continent.”

Mantashe warned that if Africa continued to operate from a place of fear, the continent would struggle to progress despite sitting on vast mineral wealth.

He urged African nations to recognise their position as the world’s richest mining jurisdiction and to leverage their resources for their own benefit.

This followed Trump’s criticism of South Africa’s land policies, where he accused the government of seizing land and mistreating certain groups of people.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he claimed that land was being confiscated and specific communities were being unfairly targeted.

“South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” Trump wrote.

He also criticised the media for downplaying the issue, claiming that a significant human rights violation was unfolding in plain sight.

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