Will Ramaphosa's visit to the US improve trade relations?
President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump are set to meet to discuss bilateral trade.
Image: Armand Hough/Independent Media
President Cyril Ramaphosa will need to use his skills as a negotiator if he has any chance of resetting the strategic relationship between South Africa and the United States.
Dr Ntokozo Nzimande, senior lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Johannesburg, said while Ramaphosa is a "brilliant negotiator, one can only hope that this meeting will yield a positive outcome".
"The US imposed tariffs not just on South Africa but on all its trading partners. The rationale behind this decision is to reduce the trade deficit between the US and its partners," said Nzimande.
Ramaphosa will embark on a working visit to the United States from Monday until Thursday.
Ramaphosa will meet Trump on Wednesday at the White House, to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of interest.
The South African president's visit comes a week after nearly 50 Afrikaners South arrived in Washington DC seeking asylum.
This was after Trump signed an executive order in February directing his government to grant refugee status to Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch and French colonisers who he claimed were discriminated against.
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Relations between South Africa and the US soured significantly since Trump returned to the White House in January.
Nzimande expressed doubt that the tensions between South Africa and the US would be resolved.
"The Trump administration is fully aware that there's no genocide in South Africa — it's all lies. These lies could be a retaliation from Elon Musk because of Starlink. If this is the case, the only solution would be to allow Starlink to operate in SA, which is a security threat.
"If Elon Musk can use the X platform, particularly Grok, to spread lies and manufacture stories, what assurances do we have that he won't use Starlink against us?" said Nzimande.
Nzimande added that Ramaphosa has negotiated a number of important deals.
"One can hope that he will be able to remind the Trump administration of the same significance of our trade relations," he said.
Trump recently announced additional tariffs on all imported products under what had been termed 'Liberation Day' trade measures.
Goods imported from dozens of countries and territories are to be taxed at sharply higher rates, including 30% for South Africa.
The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) has urged South Africans to not allow divisions that were not helping the country to move forward, following news of the arrival of SA refugees in the US.
"At this time of our history, South Africans of all races and creed should take the opportunity, to unite and work together for the betterment of all our citizens and the republic, united in our diversity.
"Whilst ours is a vibrant democracy, full of vitality, and this should never be discouraged, we should also be conscious of driving negative narratives and messaging," said SACCI in a statement.
It added that it was counterproductive and will damage South Africa's prospects in driving the necessary investment climate, for economic growth, the elimination of poverty and unemployment, to achieve the ultimate objective of shared prosperity.
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