Wits University professor, Patrick Bond, said Friday's inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States will be like PW Botha coming back to power.
Bond, a Professor of Political Economy at Wits, was speaking to the media this week about the impact of a Trump presidency.
"I'd say expect and prepare for the worst reactionary politics. It's as if PW Botha was back in the saddle, it's as if we're heading into the 1930's where economic turmoil has created so many victims that they're turning to the so-called Man on the White Horse, somebody (Donald Trump) who's going to come in and save them," said Bond.
"But, because he can't save them we are going to see serious political conflicts around the world and within the United States and we need to prepare to give solidarity," he said.
During the wide-ranging interview, Professor Bond, also sounded an ominous warning for US companies in South Africa.
He said Trump had been promising a trade war to protect US jobs, particularly in the motor manufacturing sector.
Bond said he expected Trump to "shut-down relationships that South Africa has with the US to export cars as well as dumping the African Growth and Opportunity Act, Agoa."
"Some of the relationships between exporters, I mean there's one company in particular, Ford, which is not so popular right now for good reason, may have to start laying off people at their factories and particularly anything that is exported from South Africa to the US could have new tariffs because Trump is threatening a trade war to protect his manufacturing workers."
"So, we would probably have higher unemployment," Bond said.
Speaking on what he called the rise of "Trumpism", Bond said that minority groups in the US will have to come band together in a kind of unity of resistance to any erosion of their rights.
"Well, the New York bullying of Donald Trump is already attractive to a large number of Whites, working class patriots in the United States. Their nationalist, right-wing politics are increasing and it’s very dangerous," said Bond.
"If you're African Amercian, Mexican American, Latino, if you're Muslim or a woman (because your reproductive rights are probably going to be taken away by the next Supreme Court nominee), if you're an immigrant or working class person, disabled or older, you are going to be in trouble. And, that's so interesting about the need for the groups that represent these oppressed peoples to come out of their silos, to come up and look around and make a rainbow coalition of sorts, a unity in resistance, and I think that's happening," Bond said.
He said such a coalition should be established before Trump gets hold of the country's security apparatus, adding that "we are going to see that coalition of progressive people, of oppressed people, having to work extra hard and find new ways to communicate and put their arguments out because Trump and his security apparatus will be watching them as any fascist ruler would do."
