The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramfosa, is in the US, where he is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on 21 May, in a significant face-to-face matter that will set tone for future relations between the two countries.
His visit will be for the first time that Trump has hosted an African leader at the White House since taking over in January. Trump never visited Africa during his first term. On the other hand, Ramfosa’s final work journey of Washington in 2022 when the former US President who is still in the office in Biden.
But from the beginning of 2025, relations between the United States and South Africa have deteriorated rapidly, inspired by ideological differences, geo -political coalitions and domestic policy struggles.
South African Presidency said in a statement, “The President’s visit to the US provides a platform to reset the strategic relationship between the two countries.”
However, some analysts have warned that Ramposa’s three -day visit is unlikely to be easy, with fear it can change hostile or conflict.
“Its objective is to clean the image of South Africa and try to remove the notion that Trump is putting ahead as a country about South Africa where a massacre against the white Africa, the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation in Johannesburg told DBW by Regional Program Manager Manager Manager Manager Manager in South Africa.
Denying Trump’s claims
Ramposa’s visit only US welcomed a group of white South African “refugees”, which is being persecuted by President Donald Trump’s claims in South Africa, and facing a “massacre”. They flew to the US on a special transfer plan and will be allowed to settle there.
The Ramfosa government denies the allegations and says that the whites who have more than 70% of the land, despite creating a population of only 7%, are not discriminated against.
Guilengue said that Ramfosa wants to introduce a new business structure that is going to control trade between the two countries,
There is a trade agreement between the Development and Opportunities Act (first), the United States and the eligible sub-city African countries. The deal, which is ending on October 1, 2025, allows African countries to export products in American duty-free, helping the continent in its development agenda.
A new US South Africa Trade Deal?
Trump’s recent trade Tiffs indicated the end of the earlier. For example, South Africa’s motor vehicle industry is suffering from Trump’s tariff due to high levels of exports to the US, and is expected that Ramfosa positioned Trump in relation to the tattiff on South Africa.
Trump’s recent trade policies were increasing tension, which were working hard to South Africa, but due to the cut in US aid for development projects.
The relationship was already tense after South Africa filed a case against Israel in the International Court of International Court of Hague, alleging that the Israeli army was a massacre against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Another aspect of the breakdown of relations is the role of South Africa within the BRICS. “It threatens Americans globally and South Africa because one of the active members of the BRICS group is not positive by the US,” Gilgue said.
BRICS is an inter -governmental organization that includes ten countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
South African people suspect
Given the stressful geopolitical climate, how do South African people see the journey of Ramfosa? Gilgue said, “There is a minor section in South African society that believes that Ramposa uses the opportunity to prevent the freedom of South Africa, it has the right to choose partners with work and define his own diplomacy”, Gilgue said.
He said that there is a lot of doubt about the President’s meeting, knowing that Trump’s way of dealing with his opponents, pointing to insults that Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelanski experienced Trump at the Oval office in February.
In Pretoria, the South African presidential president confirmed that Trump had started the invitation for Ramposa. Gilengue insisted that Trump may still recognize South Africa as its biggest trading partner on the continent.
For the Daniel Silke, the political analyst and director of the Political Futures Consultancy located in Cape Town, the important factor is the South Africa led by G20 this year.
South Africa role as G20 leader
“G20 – Desk comments from the US and attempts to withdraw global organizations and bodies – one of these bodies is one of the most important”, Silke told DW.
It is in the context that South Africa gets elevated in terms of global importance and hence it is appropriate that both sides meet in Washington, they said.
Ramfosa may try to convince Trump to attend the summit in Johannesburg in November, which is planned to boycott the US President.
Silke said that Ramfosa’s visit is very low in the US with a white African refugee flight. He said that the issue will be raised, but this is not a major point in dialogue.
“America is taking Mavric positions on all types of issues and Trump, in particular, will one day criticize a leader and if it is beneficial for America then it will reach the hand of friendship.”
The best way to deal with Trump is individually: “This is an issue of personal diplomacy and an individual relationship that needs to be forged, even if it is rocky,” Silke explained, finally, it comes down to trading. “For all the nonsense about the tattif, it seems that the worst tattifies can be interacted. South Africa has benefited on some important minerals that can supply to the US.”
Edited by: chrispin mwakideu
