The South African Minister of Mineral Resources, Gwede Mantashe has urged other African nations to retaliate against President Donald Trump’s funding cut threat.

New Telegraph recalls that President Trump on Monday announced the cut to all funding to South Africa over the Exploration Act passed in the country.

Mantashe reminded Africa that the United States and the world depend on the continent’s natural resources for its development.

The South Africa Mineral Resources Minister who spoke via his interview on its X handle stated this while addressing Trump’s funding cut threat.

He said: “With this standing threat that, yeah, because you passed an exploration act, therefore Trump will withhold funding to South Africa. And I said, let’s not immobilize Africa, let’s withhold minerals to the U.S. That is it.

“If they don’t give us money, let’s not give them minerals. But the reality, they take our minerals, but say, why, we’re throwing funding. No, we have minerals In the continent. And therefore, we have something that we have.

“We’re not just beggars, but we must just use that endowment for our benefit as a continent. But if as a continent we are frightened, we fear everything, we are going to collapse and we’ll collapse with minerals at our doorstep.

“So, my appeal is that Africa is the world’s richest mining jurisdiction. And that issue is an issue that we must internalize as a continent, use it to our advantage.

South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Gwede Mantashe calls on African countries not to give USA minerals if they threaten to cut foreign aid.

South Africa received $440 million in US foreign aid for HIV treatment in 2024.

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— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) February 4, 2025

(New Telegraph)