JOHANNESBURG — A sharp exchange between South Africa’s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba has underscored growing tensions over Africa’s critical minerals strategy.
The disagreement unfolded during the African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, where Mantashe openly questioned the DRC’s critical minerals agreement with the United States, arguing that African resource governance should prioritise continental interests over national considerations.
According to observers present at a closed ministerial session, Mantashe criticised the DRC’s decision to enter into the deal, with two analysts describing the encounter as heated. Kabamba, reportedly taken aback, defended the agreement, insisting it was structured to benefit the DRC.
The debate later spilled into a public panel discussion, where Kabamba reiterated his position. He rejected suggestions that the DRC had conceded its mineral wealth without adequate returns.
“This is not a one-way arrangement,” Kabamba said. “We are acting in our national interest by diversifying partnerships.”
He pointed to China’s longstanding dominance in African copper markets as justification for broadening the country’s alliances.
The US-DRC agreement, signed last year, grants Washington access to Congolese critical minerals. The arrangement has been widely interpreted as linked to diplomatic efforts by former US President Donald Trump to broker peace between the DRC and Rwanda.
However, instability persists in eastern DRC, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels continue fighting government forces, raising questions about the broader geopolitical implications of the deal.
Critics have also expressed concern over the agreement’s economic provisions, arguing that it does little to enhance the DRC’s domestic mineral processing capacity. The deal reportedly includes clauses requiring the freezing of tax and regulatory regimes for up to a decade.
Kabamba noted that he had recently returned from Washington, where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio convened discussions among 54 countries on cooperation in developing critical minerals supply chains.
Mantashe, however, remained firm in his stance.
“It’s not about the DRC’s national interest,” he said. “It’s about the continental interest.”
He suggested that differential trade measures — including lower US tariffs on the DRC compared with South Africa — could reflect a broader “divide and conquer” dynamic in global resource politics.
When approached for comment, Mantashe rejected descriptions of the encounter as a spat and denied accusations that he had labelled the DRC a “sellout.”
“We did not call them that,” he said. “We emphasised the importance of considering the interests of the continent.”
Analysts say the exchange reflects deeper policy debates as African nations navigate intensifying global competition for critical minerals essential to energy transition technologies.
Speaking at the Indaba, Mantashe warned that surging global demand for strategic resources risked placing African countries at a disadvantage if negotiations remained fragmented.
“Without coordination, we face a race to the bottom,” he said, urging African states to adopt a unified approach to defending mineral sovereignty.
As geopolitical competition over supply chains accelerates, the incident highlights the balancing act confronting resource-rich African nations: pursuing national economic priorities while managing calls for continental solidarity.
