Johann Rupert in Washington for Ramaphosa-Trump meeting, annoyed by ‘Afrikaner refugees'
Johann Rupert, South Africa's richest man, is in Washington DC and could be part of President Cyril Ramaphosa's delegation to meet US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
News24 has learned from three sources with knowledge of the South African delegation that Rupert was instrumental in securing the meeting between Ramaphosa and Trump.
Central to his role was his apparent frustration with Trump over his typecasting of Afrikaners as 'refugees' and victims of a genocide. Rupert is Afrikaans and heavily invested in farming in South Africa.
Like Trump, Rupert is a keen golfer and facilitated a call between Trump and Ramaphosa after Trump's election in November.
Ramaphosa will meet Trump at noon on Wednesday after the US president issued an executive order against South Africa on 7 February, cutting all funding to the country.
This has resulted in deep cuts to funding HIV and TB research and medicine.
Trump accused South Africa of grabbing the land of white farmers and siding with the United States' enemies, namely Iran and Hamas.
Former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was declared persona non grata and had to leave Washington DC.
The Daily Maverick first published reports of Rupert's role in the meeting on Tuesday, quoting an unnamed source on Capitol Hill who said: 'Rupert is a true patriot. There were others like the Big Easy (Ernie Els), but Rupert repeatedly told him [Trump] to stop the nonsense [about 'Afrikaner refugees'] and talk to Ramaphosa.'
According to News24's sources, it was still unclear whether Rupert would form part of Wednesday's delegation, and the names of the delegation to meet Trump were still being negotiated.
Ramaphosa was accompanied by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Nthavheni, as well as and his special envoy to the US, Mcebisi Jonas.
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