It's time for SA to break free from foreign donor dependency

Trump's decision to cut aid funding to SA is a wake-up call. We must rise to the occasion and create real self-reliance

16 February 2025 - 00:00 By Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara

The decision by the Trump administration to cut USAid funding and restrict financial aid to South Africa has been widely criticised as yet another example of unilateralism and political coercion in international relations. While this move directly affects millions of people dependent on USAid money for their livelihood and creates immediate challenges for civil society and development sectors reliant on foreign funding, it also presents an important opportunity: to assert South Africa’s sovereignty and critically re-evaluate the overreliance of civil society on external donors. ..

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