South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated that his country will not be intimidated by external pressure.

His comments come after US President Donald Trump recently threatened to cut financial aid to South Africa over a land reform law.

Trump alleged—without evidence—that South Africa was unfairly seizing land and mistreating certain groups. The land reform law aims to address racial inequalities in land ownership.

While Ramaphosa did not mention Trump directly, he spoke about rising global tensions in his annual State of the Nation Address.

He emphasized that nationalism and self-interest were on the rise worldwide but assured South Africans that the country would remain united and defend its interests.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also criticized South Africa, saying he would not attend the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg.

He accused South Africa of using the summit to push for global solidarity, equality, and sustainability.

South Africa took over the G20 presidency in December, becoming the first African nation to do so. Ramaphosa has expressed his intention to use this position to support Africa and developing nations.

South Africa is currently governed by a coalition after the ruling African National Congress (ANC) lost its parliamentary majority in last year’s elections.

To boost the economy, Ramaphosa announced a new wave of reforms aimed at improving key state-owned companies, such as power utility Eskom and logistics firm Transnet. The plan also includes infrastructure investments.

Despite these efforts, the South African Reserve Bank expects the economy to grow by just 1.8% this year. However, the government aims to increase growth to over 3% through its reforms.

South Africa’s leadership remains focused on strengthening the nation and pushing forward with economic and political initiatives despite international criticism.