Can Ramaphosa charm offensive help fix South Africa’s ties with Trump’s US?

Author: Qaanitah Hunter
\ Published on: 21/05/2025 | 00:00:00

AI Summary:
\ Tensions have been escalating between the US and its African trade ally since Donald Trump took office this year, cut off aid to South Africa, repeated false accusations that a “white genocide” is taking place there. But Trump responded with a well-prepared redirect that South African media and analysts described as an “ambush” and a move that “blindsided” Ramaphosa. Steenhuisen added that the people in the video were leaders of opposition minority parties and his party had joined forces with Ramaphosa “precisely to keep those people out of power” The meeting began cordially where Trump complimented South African golfers, including well-known Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, who were part of the delegation. Ramaphosa’s office said the aim was to “reset” relations, especially as the US is South Africa’s second largest trading partner after China. “Whether we like it or not, we are joined at the hip, and we need to be talking to them,” the South African president said before his trip. Pretoria said no white land has been taken, but the US said the law unfairly targets minority white South Africans who are the majority landholders. Trump also mentioned South Africa’s land reform law that allows land in the public interest to be taken without compensation in exceptional circumstances. Elon Musk reiterated his assertions about laws he claimed were biased against white people despite experts explaining that most of those only seek to promote racial justice. Before Wednesday’s meeting, a White House official told the Reuters news agency Trump is likely to tell Ramaphosa that all US companies in South Africa should be exempt from “rocial requirements” Isike said that while trade concessions would be discussed, he doubted the South African government would give up its laws to appease Musk. In private talks, Ramaphosa and Trump were also expected to discuss foreign policy issues. Some political observers said Pretoria is in the US crosshairs partly because of its actions against the key Washington ally. “I haven’t made up my mind,” Paolo von Schirach says. It will be difficult for Ramaphosa and Trump to rebound after the Oval Office “ambush” von Schiach said. „We know that Elon Musk certainly fanned this story [about a white genocide], and he’s probably not the only one”

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