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Thousands of South Africans took to the streets across the country on Saturday, calling for respect for the country’s sovereignty despite ongoing tensions with the administration of United States President Donald Trump.
The rally, organised by the African National Congress (ANC), coincided with Human Rights Day, which commemorates the 1960 Sharpeville massacre.
“The principle of national sovereignty is under attack from foreign and domestic forces,” Ramaphosa’s party, ANC, said in the manifesto convening the rallies.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s party said the rallies were aimed at defending the country’s sovereignty and democratic achievements, warning that both internal and external forces were undermining them.
A sea of marchers in the green and yellow of the ANC took to the streets in Johannesburg, the economic capital, some in T-shirts with messages such as “We will not be bullied”, with similar protests planned in Cape Town.
Some residents said the protests were intended to send a message that South Africa’s leadership, laws, and policies must be respected, while others rejected what they described as attempts to intimidate the country.
Participants also expressed concern over what they viewed as foreign interference and economic pressure, insisting they would defend the country’s constitution and independence.
“We want to defend our country,” said demonstrator Siyanda Moloi, a 34-year-old construction worker.
“I think they will get the message. You have to respect our president, our laws, our policies.”
The protests come as relations between Washington and Pretoria remains strained, with disagreements spanning trade, race relations, and South Africa’s legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Tensions escalated after South Africa summoned US Ambassador Brent Bozell over remarks he made about a controversial apartheid-era chant, which he described as hate speech regardless of local court rulings.
“I don’t care what your courts say, it’s hate speech,” Bozell had said in some of his first public remarks in South Africa.
The Trump administration has also criticised South Africa’s racial equity policies, while trade disputes have seen tariffs imposed on South African exports and the country subjected to further US trade scrutiny.
The demonstrations also served as a reminder of the country’s apartheid past, with March 21 marking the anniversary of the Sharpeville killings, when dozens of protesters were shot by security forces during a demonstration against pass laws.
