Looking Beyond “Useful Africa” at the Mining Indaba

South African Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, speaks at the Investing in African Mining Indaba conference, in Cape Town, South Africa, February 9, 2026. REUTERS/Esa Alexander

With U.S.-South Africa ties in the deep freeze, it was notable to see the sheer size of the U.S. delegation sent to this week’s Mining Indaba in Cape Town – one of the most prominent industry gatherings and one of the few where the Global South gets a prominent voice.

The Trump administration’s famous Afrophobia seems (momentarily at least) tempered by its greed for minerals. It is reportedly walking the line between these two poles by emphasizing agreements that maximize its access to resources like cobalt while limiting actual U.S. companies’ presence in Africa.

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by Cobus van Staden

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