For those who don’t know, Musk was actually born and raised in South Africa. He later changed his citizenship to Canadian (from his mother’s side) to avoid being drafted into mandatory military service during the Apartheid regime before fleeing to Canada. Ever since endorsing Trump for the 2024 elections, Musk has become increasingly vocal and active on political matters that are way above his comprehension.
As of now, Musk holds a ‘special government employee’ status, managing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he created. If you have not heard of DOGE then you have definitely heard of USAid funding being cut. As of last week, USAid has unofficially been disbanded by none other than Musk himself. Musk has also gained access to all government employee databases and controls the funding for several sectors.
Some time last week, US President Trump said he was calling for a freeze of
funding in South Africa because, in his own words, “They are doing terrible
things with the land there.” What he was referring to is a new expropriation
law that would allow previously held large chunks by private parties to be
fairly distributed with zero compensation.
I bet Trump can’t even point out where South Africa is on a map. For him to be invested in matters that have very little to do with him, there must be a wee tweety bird chirping on his shoulders.
As it turns out, Musk’s father, an Afrikaner (White South Africans of Dutch ancestry), is, in fact, a Private Nature reserve owner, a property developer and an emerald dealer. It doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots. Part of Trump’s sanctions was offering refugee statuses to Afrikaners who wished to migrate to the United States. The Afrikaner community themselves came out strongly to oppose the suggestion, saying they are not planning to be refugees in America when they are, in fact, South Africans, and they do not agree with Trump’s sanctions.
Those who follow South Africa’s politics are very well versed with Julius Malema. He was known as the loud mad dog who retaliated against his former boss Jacob Zuma. Malema then founded his own party, called the EFF or Economic Freedom Fighters. EFF describes itself as a left-wing, anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movement. Malema himself holds pan-African views, often calling out for a united Africa and being vocal in all African matters. Part of EFF’s mandate is the advocacy of the nationalisation of mining companies and the expropriation of white landowners.
The discussion of redistributing land in South Africa is an emotional and very volatile one. One that is best left to the South Africans to figure out. As we are all aware, South Africa was the last African country to gain its Independence in 1994, meaning that there is a lot of catching up to do and history to correct. I am also speaking as someone who lived in the middle of it all. Having studied in a predominantly white university that was formerly a non-coloured institution, set in the fertile plains of the Western Cape, where the majority of the student population was rich and white.
Malema’s reaction to Trump’s sanctions were, therefore, within the norm of those who are aware of his politics. He criticised the President for using aid as a form of manipulation tactic, threatening to interfere with South Africa’s sovereignty. Which brings us back to today, when Elon Musk reacted to a video of Malema’s regular rants about the whites.
Within an hour of Elon posting that Malema should be declared an international criminal, the EFF put out an official statement on X, saying they are not fazed by Musk’s threats. In true Malema fashion, part of the statement read, “The EFF takes this opportunity to tell Elon Musk and all of his allies in the USA, Israel and the right-wing groups in South Africa to collectively go to hell.”