President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet Donald Trump a week after the first South African refugees arrived in the US.
Millions of South Africans will be focused on the White House in Washington DC next week where President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to meet US President Donald Trump.
The country’s rocky relationship with the United States is widely anticipated to be the centrepiece of the 21 May face-to-face meeting, which the SA Presidency has pitched as a bid to ease tensions with the Trump administration.
Ramaphosa-Trump: Simmering tensions between SA and US
Tensions between the two countries have been simmering for years, having been sparked by a range of incidents and disagreements.
Included among these were tensions over allegations of Russian arms shipments from South Africa and the country’s anti-Israel stance, particularly at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
More recently, Trump raised the ire of the SA government when he moved to grant refugee status to dozens of Afrikaner South Africans, many of whom have now already arrived in the US.
ALSO READ: Trump’s asylum offer now open to all South African minorities facing ‘persecution’
Ramaphosa to ‘reset strategic relationship’ with US
According to the Presidency, Ramaphosa will undertake what was described as a “working visit” to the US from 19 to 22 May, “to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of interest” with Trump.
”President Ramaphosa’s visit to the US provides a platform to reset the strategic relationship between the two countries,” stated Presidential spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, on Wednesday.
‘White genocide’
Since embarking on his second term in January this year, Trump has accused South Africa of orchestrating a genocide against white Afrikaner farmers, as well as seizing their land.
These allegations have been widely shared by billionaire and former South African Elon Musk, who has been vocal on his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), about the alleged “white genocide” taking place in South Africa.
Musk, who has grown increasingly closer to Trump, is believed to have the White House’s ear as the de facto leader of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency”, a new department created by Trump.
Earlier this year, Trump froze millions in aid to South Africa, imposed a 30% tariff on its exports to the US and expelled its ambassador Ebrahim Rasool in mid-March.
ALSO READ: Trump-Ramaphosa meeting seen as key to easing tensions
Ramaphosa to ‘dangle’ gas cooperation with US in front of Trump?
According to BusinessLIVE, South Africa is expected to “dangle” a form of energy in front of the Trump administration during the working visit.
This is based on reports of high-level meetings between government officials and experts in the gas industry in South Africa yesterday.
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s office revealed to the publication that increased gas co-operation with the US was a crucial component of the offer being formulated for Trump.
“The Department is exploring all possible options to secure a continuous supply of natural gas beyond 2030, when Sasol gas is expected to decline to near-zero levels,” said Tsakane Khambane, Ramokgopa’s spokesperson.
“The department is investigating all countries that export natural gas and are active in the global gas market, including the US,” Khambane said.
