By Wendell Roelf and Nellie Peyton CAPE TOWN (Reuters) -South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that his country "will not be bullied," days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would cut off funding to South Africa over a land reform act.

Amid rising negative foreign rhetoric, South Africans rally behind President Ramaphosa's defiant stance at SONA, declaring unity against external pressures.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared to respond to threats from U_S_ counterpart Donald Trump by saying in his annual speech to the nation that his country would “not be bullied.”

Trump and his allies have targeted South Africa, promoting the false narrative that white people are being mistreated by the nation’s post-apartheid government.

Ramaphosa rejects Trump's criticism, vows South Africa won't be bullied, and outlines plans for economic growth.

In his address, Ramaphosa also said Trump's decision to suspend US international aid was a concern for South Africa, where it funds about 17 percent of AIDS/HIV treatment programmes.

In a State of the Nation Address (SoNA) overshadowed by diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the US over land, social inclusion and climate policies, President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa would “not be bullied” as it sought to chart a new path in a rapidly changing world.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa defended his land reform policy on Monday against an attack by Donald Trump that laid bare deep divisions within South Africa over racial disparities in ownership,

South Africa won’t be bullied, President Cyril Ramaphosa said after his government came under fire from his US counterpart Donald Trump’s administration.

South Africa “will not be bullied” by President Donald Trump, the leader of the nation declared in a national speech. President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the United States government’s newfound hostility to South Africa’s domestic policies on Thursday during his State of the Union address — stating that his government and people will not buckle under

South Africa will not be bullied, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a national address Thursday, after his government faced criticism from senior US officials including President Donald Trump.