US dignitaries in SA keeping close eye on elections
The mood is tense at the US Ambassador's residence in Pretoria where consular staff, US dignitaries and guests are keeping a close on as the results come in from the US election.
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Todd Haskell says it's an interesting political landscape - even more so than the 2008 elections when Barack Obama was first elected as President.
"I think every electoral cycle turns out to have its share of surprises. This one, perhaps, more than most."
#ElectionDay Tense times at the US Ambassadors home as election results trickle in.. pic.twitter.com/s7ObHGYTwE
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) November 9, 2016
Wits Professor of International Relations, John Stremlau says a Trump presidency would negatively impact the entire global order.
He believes it would hurt US-South Africa relations, because of the economic ties which he thinks Trump will greatly ignore.
"Trump is a bomb-thrower. God only knows what he he would be like. He says very little about Africa other than if black lives matter domestically, he said African Americans ought to go back to Africa. He has been denegrading of South Africa and Africa generally, saying it's badly run and conflict prone etc, but he dones't know anything about the continent."