US Officials Join Largest Delegation Ever to Mining Indaba in Cape Town Amid Diplomatic Strains
- United States President Trump continues to pursue business interests in South Africa amid diplomatic tensions
- US energy officials and private sector executives are travelling to Cape Town for the Mining Indaba
- This is the largest US government delegation ever to attend the Mining Indaba
Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.
Source: Getty Images
WESTERN CAPE, CAPE TOWN - US President Donald Trump is continuing to pursue business interests with South Africa despite ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
US delegation coming to SA
US energy officials and private sector executives are travelling to Cape Town for the Mining Indaba after attending the inaugural critical minerals ministerial in Washington last week. Africa’s largest mining conference runs from Monday to Thursday, 9-12 February 2026, and is expected to draw more than 10,000 participants from around the world, including nearly 3,000 government officials and mining executives.
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The United States delegation includes the US Trade and Development Agency acting director Thomas Hardy, the US International Development Finance Corporation acting vice president for infrastructure and critical minerals Danielle Montgomery, and the acting vice president for foreign policy Bethany Aquilina Brez.
Largest US government delegation ever
Also attending are US ambassadors to Namibia John Giordano and Zimbabwe Pamela Tremont, Zambia deputy chief of mission Mich Coker, State Department Bureau of African Affairs Office of Economic and Regional Affairs director Daniel Travis, acting US Trade Representative for Africa Osvaldo Gomez-Martinez, International Trade Administration deputy assistant secretary for Africa Rachel Billingslea, Millennium Challenge Corporation acting deputy vice president for infrastructure, environment and private sector Amanda Jennings, and Department of Energy special envoy for global energy integration Joshua Volz.
Executive advisory board member Tony Carroll said this is the largest US government delegation ever to attend the Mining Indaba. Montgomery is expected to speak on a panel discussing how African countries can leverage the rise of new investors in critical minerals.
Source: Getty Images
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Source: Briefly News
