During the debate on the president's state of the nation address (Sona) on Tuesday, EFF leader Julius Malema challenged President Cyril Ramaphosa to present a detailed response plan after US President Donald Trump's threats to cut financial assistance to South Africa.

Trump had previously announced his intention to reduce aid after claiming in a social media post that “certain classes of people” in South Africa were being treated “very badly”.

Malema said: "It is not enough to simply say you will not be bullied; you must outline what actions you will take. When you respond on Thursday, we expect a clear and detailed response to Donald Trump." Ramaphosa is set to address the issue in a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces on Thursday.

Tensions between South Africa and the US escalated after Trump signed an executive order to cut financial assistance to the country. The White House also proposed resettling white South African farmers and their families as refugees through the US Refugee Admissions Program. However, this offer has been rejected by Afrikaners, including the AfriForum group.

Malema told MPs the threats were largely in response to South Africa's stance on Israel at the International Court of Justice.

"They (the US) are attacking us because of our position on Israel. They are targeting us due to our government's actions at the ICJ. We warn you not to be misled by those who claim you're under siege because of the Expropriation Act," Malema said.

Additionally, the EFF faced criticism on X by its owner, Elon Musk, who called for Malema to be declared an international criminal and sanctioned.

Malema responded: "We want to make it clear that we are not part of a generation of cowards who can be bullied by imperial forces and power-hungry individuals intoxicated by the wealth of apartheid."