South Africa’s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, publicly challenged the Democratic Republic of Congo’s critical minerals agreement with the United States during exchanges at the African Mining Indaba in Cape Town.
Tensions surfaced during a closed-door ministerial session on Sunday, where Mantashe raised concerns about the implications of the DRC’s deal with Washington.
According to observers present at the meeting, he questioned whether the agreement adequately reflected broader continental interests.
The DRC’s Minister of Mines, Louis Watum Kabamba, pushed back against the criticism, defending the agreement as a mutually beneficial arrangement designed to advance his country’s national priorities.
Kabamba later reiterated his position during a public panel discussion, stressing that the DRC had not “given away” its resources and was instead diversifying strategic partnerships beyond traditional buyers such as China, which has long dominated African copper markets.
The deal grants the United States access to critical minerals from the DRC, reportedly in exchange for diplomatic engagement tied to a peace initiative between the DRC and Rwanda brokered by US President Donald Trump.
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However, instability persists in eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels continue to clash with government forces. Critics of the minerals agreement argue that it does little to support domestic beneficiation in the DRC and includes provisions that freeze tax and regulatory frameworks for several years.
Kabamba noted that he had recently attended a meeting in Washington convened by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where representatives from dozens of countries discussed cooperation on critical mineral development.
Mantashe, however, maintained that Africa’s mineral wealth should be leveraged collectively. He argued that decisions taken by individual states could have implications for the continent as a whole, particularly at a time of intensifying geopolitical competition over strategic resources.
Speaking later, Mantashe rejected suggestions that the exchange constituted a diplomatic spat or that he had accused the DRC of “selling out.” He said his remarks focused on encouraging a coordinated continental approach rather than criticising Kinshasa directly.
The exchange unfolded against the backdrop of strained relations between South Africa and the US, including Washington’s imposition of higher import tariffs on South African goods compared with the DRC.
In his opening address at the indaba, Mantashe called for greater African unity in the face of mounting global competition for critical minerals. He warned that without coordination, African countries risk being played against one another in negotiations with powerful global investors.
The 2026 Mining Indaba theme, “Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnerships,” he said, reflects the urgent need for collaboration to safeguard Africa’s mineral sovereignty and avoid what he described as a potential “race to the bottom” in global resource deals.
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