Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has commended President Cyril Ramaphosa for what he calls a strong and measured response to rising tensions between South Africa and the United States following Washington’s withdrawal from this year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg.
The US, which had initially confirmed its attendance at the summit hosted at Nasrec, later pulled out – and has since indicated that South Africa will not be invited to the 2026 G20 gathering in Miami, Florida.
Julius Malema: “Ramaphosa handled it very well”
Speaking to reporters, Malema said Ramaphosa deserves credit for managing a difficult diplomatic situation.
“Ramaphosa handled this saga very well. If it was me, it would have been worse,” Malema said.
“That’s the thing with diplomacy and radicalism – you must strike a balance. It’s not easy to fight America. It has never been easy. But like Fidel Castro, we’re not going to retreat.”
The EFF leader said the tension required careful statesmanship, particularly given the “hostility” South Africa faced from Washington.
Relations between Pretoria and Washington have been strained since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, with the US president repeatedly making unsubstantiated claims about human rights abuses against white South Africans.
Malema compares Trump to Adolf Hitler
Julius Malema escalated his criticism further, characterising Trump as the “reincarnation of Adolf Hitler”.
He cited US foreign policy in Latin America and the Middle East as justification for the comparison.
“The onslaught on the people of Venezuela for the purpose of taking over its oil refineries, the manipulation of elections in Latin America, and the disruptive role of Donald Trump in the Middle East… including the threat to colonise the Gaza Strip after funding the genocide of Palestinians, has resulted in the EFF correctly characterising Donald Trump as a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler.”
Malema said US actions in global conflict zones, coupled with its stance toward South Africa, reflect an aggressive foreign policy resembling “old imperial patterns”.
Tensions expected to remain high
Diplomatic friction between the US and South Africa is likely to continue, with the G20 withdrawal intensifying already strained relations.
The South African government has not yet issued a formal response to Washington’s decision to exclude Pretoria from next year’s summit, but Ramaphosa has maintained that South Africa will continue engaging “on equal terms” with all global partners.
