Johannesburg, South Africa – When the millionaire mining magnate-turned-president of South Africa landed in Washington to fulfill the billionaire actual property tycoon-turned-president of the US, it was with a deal in thoughts.
Tensions have been escalating between the US and its African commerce ally since Donald Trump took workplace this yr, lower off assist to South Africa, repeated false accusations {that a} “white genocide” is happening there and started welcoming Afrikaners as refugees.
On the meeting between Trump and Cyril Ramaphosa within the White Home on Wednesday, the South African president started by focusing closely on commerce and investments, highlighting the 2 nations’ years of cooperation, consistent with statements made by South Africa’s presidency that Ramaphosa would current a commerce deal to the US.
However Trump responded with a well-prepared redirect that South African media and analysts described as an “ambush” and a transfer that “blindsided” Ramaphosa.
Prepared with printouts of stories articles about alleged white victims of killings in South Africa and a video of firebrand opposition politician Julius Malema singing Kill the Boer, Trump insisted that white farmers have been being focused and murdered – an assertion Ramaphosa politely but firmly denied, saying criminality was an issue for all South Africans no matter race.
The staff Ramaphosa assembled to hitch him on his working go to – which included 4 white South Africans: two golf legends, the wealthiest man within the nation and the agriculture minister – all reaffirmed Ramaphosa’s details that whereas violence was widespread, white individuals weren’t particularly being focused.
“We now have an actual security downside in South Africa, and I don’t suppose anybody desires to candy-coat that,” stated John Steenhuisen, the agriculture minister and a member of the Democratic Alliance get together, which is a part of South Africa’s governing coalition.
“Actually, nearly all of South Africa’s business and smallholder farmers actually do wish to keep in South Africa and make it work,” the minister, who’s himself an Afrikaner, stated. Trump claimed that “hundreds” of white farmers have been fleeing South Africa.
Steenhuisen added that the individuals within the video Trump confirmed have been leaders of opposition minority events and his get together had joined forces with Ramaphosa “exactly to maintain these individuals out of energy”.
‘The lion’s den’
The assembly started cordially the place Trump complimented South African golfers, together with well-known Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, who have been a part of the delegation. They each implored Trump for enhanced commerce to uplift South Africa’s financial system.
Additionally within the delegation was South Africa’s richest man, Johann Rupert, a luxury-goods mogul and an Afrikaner. He countered claims of racial persecution towards the white minority, saying that whereas criminality was rife, Black individuals have been extra typically the victims.
“We now have too many deaths, nevertheless it’s throughout the board. It’s not solely white farmers,” Rupert stated to Trump.
Ramaphosa stored his cool, native media and observers stated, noting that the South African president selected to stay calm, affected person and light-hearted even in gentle of Trump’s assault.
He steered talks again to commerce, saying South Africa wanted financial funding from its allies, and largely sat expressionless whereas the video was performed, often stretching his neck to have a look at it.
Ramaphosa went into “the lion’s den” and was met with an ambush however he remained calm, South African political analyst Sanusha Naidu stated.
“Ramaphosa and the delegation didn’t enable themselves to be baited into an emotional response. That’s essential. They made Trump really feel like he had the higher hand within the assembly,” she informed Al Jazeera, including that given the narrative from Trump earlier than Ramaphosa’s arrival, it “may have gone worse”.
When requested by a reporter whether or not he wished the deadlock between the US and South Africa resolved, Trump stated he was open to it.
“I hope it needs to be resolved. It ought to be resolved,” he stated, including that if it weren’t resolved, it will be “the top of the nation”.
‘Reset’ relations
Earlier than the 2 leaders met on Wednesday, Ramaphosa’s workplace stated the intention was to “reset” relations, particularly because the US is South Africa’s second largest buying and selling companion after China.
“Whether or not we prefer it or not, we’re joined on the hip, and we must be speaking to them,” the South African president stated earlier than his journey.
Christopher Isike, a political scientist on the College of Pretoria, informed Al Jazeera that direct engagement between the leaders was essential, given the tense relations between their nations.
“This is a chance for South Africa to right misinformation peddled by President Trump and attempt to reset commerce relations between the 2 nations,” he stated.
Isike famous that each presidents’ backgrounds as businesspeople may present frequent floor for discussing mutually advantageous offers.
“Wealthy associates of Ramaphosa are additionally wealthy associates of Trump, and that will have helped facilitate the assembly,” Isike added.
Widespread floor and degree heads can be helpful because the leaders continued personal talks away from the media on Wednesday, observers stated.
Earlier than the go to, Ramaphosa maintained that whereas Trump was a dealmaker, he too was adept at making offers and even joked about the potential for enjoying a spherical of golf along with his US counterpart.
Washington, nonetheless, has criticised Pretoria for a number of issues since Trump took workplace. This continued within the assembly on Wednesday.
Trump centered on the white farmers, notably Afrikaners – the descendants of primarily Dutch settlers who instituted apartheid. He alleged they’re being killed due to their race regardless of proof displaying that assaults and killings are frequent throughout all teams within the nation.
Trump additionally talked about South Africa’s land reform law that permits land within the public curiosity to be taken with out compensation in distinctive circumstances in an effort to redress apartheid injustices. Pretoria stated no white land has been taken, however the US stated the legislation unfairly targets minority white South Africans who’re the bulk landholders.
Regardless of Pretoria constantly in search of to rectify false assertions, the Trump administration has pushed forward with a plan to soak up Afrikaners as refugees. The first group arrived final week. He has additionally lower assist, together with important assist for life-saving HIV programmes, to South Africa.
Moreover, there are worries that Trump could not attend the Group of 20 summit being held in South Africa in November and his authorities could not renew the African Development and Alternative Act (AGOA), key US commerce laws that assists economies in sub-Saharan Africa. It expires in September.
Commerce and investments
Earlier than Wednesday’s conferences, Ramaphosa stated strengthening commerce relations between the 2 nations was his major motivation for travelling to Washington, DC.
“We wish to come out of the US with a very good commerce deal, funding promotion. We spend money on the US, and so they spend money on us. We wish to strengthen these relations. We wish to consolidate relations between the 2 nations,” he stated.
This week, South Africa’s ministers of commerce and agriculture, Parks Tau and Steenhuisen, met with US Commerce Consultant Jamieson Greer to current the primary draft of a commerce deal.
In 2024, whole items commerce between the US and South Africa amounted to $20.5bn. This included $5.8bn in US exports to South Africa and $14.7bn in South African exports to the US.
Nevertheless, some observers stated that on the coronary heart of the potential commerce deal is what South Africa may supply billionaire and shut Trump ally, Elon Musk, given his ongoing claims about obstacles he allegedly faces in working Starlink, his satellite tv for pc web firm, within the nation the place he was born as a consequence of its transformation legal guidelines.
These legal guidelines search to redress previous injustices that stored Black individuals destitute and require companies over a sure measurement to have a 30 % fairness stake held by members of beforehand deprived teams.
Talking on the Doha Financial Discussion board on Tuesday, Musk reiterated his assertions about legal guidelines he claimed have been biased towards white individuals regardless of specialists explaining that almost all of these solely search to advertise racial justice.
“All races should be on equal footing in South Africa. That’s the proper factor to do. Don’t exchange one set of racist legal guidelines with one other set of racist legal guidelines, which is totally unsuitable and improper,” Musk stated.
“I’m in an absurd state of affairs the place I used to be born in South Africa however can not get a licence to function Starlink as a result of I’m not Black,” he claimed.
Earlier than Wednesday’s assembly, a White Home official informed the Reuters information company Trump is more likely to inform Ramaphosa that every one US corporations in South Africa ought to be exempt from “racial necessities”.
Opposition determine Malema’s get together, the Financial Freedom Fighters (EFF), threatened authorized motion after information that the federal government was contemplating providing regulatory assurances to Musk’s Starlink. The EFF stated the transfer can be unconstitutional and exhibits Ramaphosa is prepared to compromise the nation’s sovereignty to “therapeutic massage the inflated ego of Musk and Trump”.
Isike stated that whereas commerce concessions can be mentioned, he doubted the South African authorities would surrender its legal guidelines to appease Musk.
“I can be stunned if Starlink will get its means by refusing to observe South African transformation legal guidelines, which require 30 % Black possession of a international firm,” he stated.
‘Genocide’ claims
In the meantime, in personal talks, Ramaphosa and Trump have been additionally anticipated to debate international coverage points, together with peace prospects between Russia and Ukraine and South Africa’s assist for Palestine and its genocide case towards Israel on the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice (ICJ).
Some political observers stated Pretoria is within the US crosshairs partly due to its actions towards the important thing Washington ally.
Patrick Bond, a sociology professor on the College of Johannesburg, predicted earlier than the talks that the US may supply to retract claims of “white genocide” in change for South Africa dropping its case on the ICJ.
South Africa is in search of to carry Israel accountable for its assault on Gaza, which has killed greater than 53,000 Palestinians since October 2023. The US is Israel’s strongest ally and arms provider.
“We’re very rational in the case of discussing international and geopolitical issues. We are going to put South African positions first, and our international coverage positions can be clarified,” Ramaphosa stated earlier than the assembly.
Because the Gaza genocide case towards Israel continues in The Hague, US allegations of a extensively discredited “white genocide” in South Africa proceed to observe the nation’s management.
Earlier than Trump and Ramaphosa retreated to personal conferences on Wednesday, a reporter requested the US president if he had determined whether or not genocide was being dedicated in South Africa. “I haven’t made up my thoughts,” he replied.
The unfounded declare of white genocide has “taken on a lifetime of its personal”, analyst Paolo von Schirach, president of the World Coverage Institute in Washington, DC, informed Al Jazeera.
Will probably be tough for Ramaphosa and Trump to rebound after the Oval Workplace “ambush”, he stated.
“We all know that Elon Musk actually fanned this story [about a white genocide], and he’s most likely not the one one,” von Schirach stated. “It’s going to be arduous for Trump to say, ‘Oh, so sorry. I used to be misinformed.’”
