(3 minutes read0
· Motsepe had taken back the lavish praises that he had heaped
on US President Donald Trump at the venue of the World Economic Forum
recently concluded in Davos, Switzerland on account of the huge
backlash it had on the online and offline media
· That said, there is a gainsay in telling that the US can
considerably influence Africa’s destiny in terms of its economic
growth by channelizing more investments and also buying more from the
region.
Indeed, Motsepe had taken back the lavish praises that he had heaped
on US President Donald Trump at the venue of the World Economic Forum
recently concluded in Davos, Switzerland on account of the huge
backlash it had on the online and offline media. That augurs well for
the mining tycoon, who made riches from an assortment of mining assets
that include gold and diamond, because he is now off the public ire,
that attracted world media attention.
What went wrong with him is not alone him eulogizing Trump and America
in superlative terms, but also his connection with the current South
African President Cyril Ramaphosa (He is the brother –in-law of the
President). Twitterati did not lose any time to take on him lock,
stock and barrel since it has become an emotive issue with Africans in
general and South Africans in particular.
Should it had happened during Trump’s immediate predecessor Barak
Obama, the opinions would have been more polarized. The reason for
that is much beyond the origin, color, creed and disposition of the
former President of the US. It is generally known that he was liked by
the African community across the world because of its overtures toward
the continent but at the same time maintaining his primary
responsibility as the US president. Perhaps, that is not the case with
Trump. The threatening the tone and tenor in which President Trump
talked against Africans when a group of white farmers and miners had
petitioned to him that they were discriminated in the aftermath of
reforms in the tenancy reforms and new mining license rules enacted by
the South African government might not have gone well with the black
community. President Trump threatened to intervene in the case and
even told he would take up the issues of the “exploited whites”,
forgetting perhaps, the basic of national sovereignty, jurisprudential
reach and of course being oblivious of the history and legacy.
Since then, much water has been flown in the River Nile. There was
also an appreciable change in the approach of Trump towards Africa. He
appointed a high ranking official to look after the African affairs.
He also sweetened the economic deals with Africa by promising a
package of US$ 20 billion to be shared among the least developed
countries, which are mostly in Africa. He also changed his tough stand
against countries like Zimbabwe, Sudan, Libya, Egypt etc. In the midst
of all these positive developments, Trump’s innuendos against the
Nobel Prize winner Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed that he was a better
candidate to get that coveted prize did not go well.
That said, there is a gainsay in telling that the US can considerably
influence Africa’s destiny in terms of its economic growth by
channelizing more investments and also buying more from the region.
Undeniably, the reverse is also true that the US has considerable
business stakes in Africa. It could be for sourcing raw materials for
its high tech companies or agricultural goods for its chocolate and
food processing industry or for selling the US brands in fast foods,
e-commerce, technology and the list is ever expanding. Yet, the
course of economic cooperation among countries has changed over time
and is still changing. It is not hegemony or one-up-man-ship but
partnerships based on win-win situations and not one-sided or zero sum
games. Both President Trump and Motsepe should know about it.
