'I was bemused': Ramaphosa reacts to Trump's 'dim the lights' at White House
President Cyril Ramaphosa says he was surprised when US President Donald Trump pulled the 'dim the lights' move during their meeting in the White House last week.
During the meeting, Trump asked for the lights to be turned down and presented videos to prove his narrative of white genocide in South Africa.
Addressing the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium in Cape Town on Tuesday, Ramaphosa jokingly said when the lights went out, it reminded him of a similar incident at the White House.
'When I came in, I saw the room going a bit dark and for a moment I wondered, what is this? It's happening to me again,' he laughed.
'Because at that moment we were seated nicely and I was beginning to get into the groove of interacting with this man. Then I suddenly heard him say, 'dim the lights'. I must say a number of people have said this was an ambush and I was bemused. I was like, what's happening?'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
US faces vape shortage as China tariffs, seizures hit Geek Bar
Shipments of vapes from China to the U.S. ground to a near halt in May from a year ago, official data shows, hit by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and a crackdown on unauthorised e-cigarettes in the world's biggest market for smoking alternatives. That includes Geek Bar, a brand of flavoured vapes that is not authorised to sell in the U.S. but which had been widely available due to porous import controls. One retailer, who asked not to be named because their business sells unauthorised vapes, told Reuters that one of the store's vape suppliers normally receives 100 boxes of Geek Bar vapes per week, but is now getting just ten. Another supplier imposed unprecedented purchase limits. 'There were a lot of supply chain issues' during COVID-19, the person said. 'But I've never seen this.' The U.S. supplier limited purchases to five boxes at a time due to 'tariff-related price increases and limited market availability', an undated notice to customers seen by Reuters showed. Trump's decision to impose steep tariffs on China, now at 30% after peaking at 145% in April, as well as blockbuster seizures of unauthorised vapes, have constrained the supply of Chinese-owned vape brands and Geek Bar in particular, according to five industry sources and notices from U.S. Geek Bar wholesalers reviewed by Reuters. Between May 1 and May 28 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recorded just 71 shipments of products labelled as e-cigarettes or vapes from China, compared with nearly 1,200 over the same period last year. Such imports had fallen between 40% and 60% in February, March and April, after Trump came into office, but collapsed in May, the data show. 'Due to increased tariffs, rising production costs, and reduced supply chain capacity, the manufacturer has informed us that they will be reducing supply volume in the near-term,' one U.S. regional Geek Bar wholesaler wrote to customers on April 22 in an email shared with Reuters. 'WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NICOTINE HERE' In the meantime, vape distributors expect prices to go in one direction. 'With tariffs, it'll definitely go up,' said one U.S. vape distributor who asked not to be named. But that might not impact sales much. Unauthorised vape manufacturers enjoy hefty margins, and so can eat some of the cost of tariffs, Luis Pinto, a spokesperson for British American Tobacco's BATS.L U.S. subsidiary, said. Meanwhile, consumers hooked on vapes tend to keep buying, even as the price goes up. 'If the price goes up, the price goes up. We're talking about nicotine here,' the vape distributor said, adding unlike other products, addicted users need their fix. Vapes like Geek Bar – priced around $20 currently – would still be good value even with a $5 increase, the person said. Geek Bar manufacturer, Guangdong Qisitech, did not respond to a request for comment sent to its general email address. Pinto agreed the tariffs will increase prices but probably not to the point 'where it is a barrier to usage'. Many of the vapes landing on U.S. shelves are manufactured in Shenzhen, which meets the majority of the world's demand for vapes. Some factories there make devices for large tobacco companies with the legal licence to sell their products in the United States, such as Japan Tobacco International 2914.T. Others fuel a booming market for unregulated devices that U.S. authorities say are illegal to import or sell. To mitigate tariffs, illicit vape producers can mislabel or undervalue their shipments or spoof their origin entirely to make it look like they came from a lower-tariff country like Indonesia, Vietnam or Mexico, Pinto said. Vapes from China are often smuggled into the U.S. disguised as other items entirely, such as shoes or toys, to evade officials hunting for unauthorised vapes at the border, according to public statements from the FDA and Customs and Border Protection. Geek Bar was by far the most popular unauthorised vape brand in the U.S. last year, accounting for around a quarter of sales tracked by market research company Circana in 2024 despite lacking a licence to sell from the FDA, which has struggled to contain illegal imports from China. The brand, as well as thousands of other labels often made in China and lacking FDA permission, are stocked by wholesalers and retailers around the country, often sold alongside authorised labels from big tobacco companies like BAT and Altria MO.N. PANIC BUYING U.S. tariffs have driven panic buying of vapes by U.S. buyers, higher shipping costs and increased risks at the border, the distributor, a former distributor and a person who used to work for a major Chinese vape company said. Substantial vape seizures were also a big driver of Geek Bar supply issues, two of the sources said. The FDA announced a large seizure in Chicago in February, and new FDA commissioner Marty Makary has pledged to crack down on unauthorised vapes. Government notices on seized goods show further vape seizures in March and April. The growth of Geek Bar and other unregulated vape brands have eaten into the market share of cigarette companies like Altria and BAT, which estimates unauthorised e-cigarettes accounted for some 70% of all U.S. vape sales last year. Altria CEO Billy Gifford told investors in April that he hoped tariffs would lead to 'much more enforcement' of vapes at the border. Trump's trade war with China has also seen China-U.S. air freight and shipping capacity collapse limiting shipping capacity for cargo including vapes. The FDA's data only captures shipments properly declared as vapes. As a result, it has recorded declining vape shipments since 2020 even as industry sales have grown. An FDA spokesperson said the agency expects the number of shipments it captures to increase as it ramps up efforts to ensure compliance and prevent illegal imports. Unauthorised vape makers have also been moving production to Indonesia – a shift that prolonged tariffs on China would likely accelerate, the former employee said. Vape makers are 'highly adaptable', the person said. 'Whatever happens in the U.S., the industry will survive.'


eNCA
3 hours ago
- eNCA
US trade gap plummets as Trump tariffs take hold
The US trade deficit more than halved in April as President Donald Trump's global tariffs reversed an import surge that preceded the new duties. The White House is likely to frame the smaller deficit as a win, noting a report of its expected boost to GDP growth, although analysts warn that businesses had likely paused further imports while waiting for countries to strike deals. The world's biggest economy logged a trade gap of $61.6 billion in the same month that Trump unveiled 10 percent levies on almost all trading partners. This was down by 55.5 percent from March, the largest decrease on record, said the Commerce Department. In March, the overall US trade deficit widened to $138.3 billion as businesses sought to get ahead of Trump's promised duties. But imports slumped by 16.3 percent in April to $351 billion as the blanket tariffs on US allies and competitors alike kicked in. Goods imports in particular fell by the most on record as well. Apart from the 10 percent levy, Trump also announced -– before swiftly pausing –- higher rates on dozens of economies including the European Union and Japan. This halt, which allowed room for trade negotiations to take place, is due to expire in early July. Goods from China were the biggest target of Trump's during the month as the world's two biggest economies engaged in a tit-for-tat escalation that took both sides' levies on each other's products to three digits. This brought many shipments from China to a halt before the countries reached a temporary deal to de-escalate the situation. For now, all eyes are on talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, amid hopes that both leaders can help bring about a longer-lasting truce. But the state of a trade deal between both countries remains uncertain as Trump last week accused Beijing of violating the terms of their temporary agreement -- which China denied. After a phone call with Xi on Thursday, Trump said there had been a "very positive conclusion for both countries." Both April exports and imports involving China were the lowest since early 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Commerce Department. - 'Hit pause' - "The economy has essentially hit pause on discretionary imports and is now working off inventories as businesses and consumers delay spending and wait for clarity on tariffs," said Nationwide financial markets economist Oren Klachkin. He added in a statement that the sharp drop in goods imports, stronger goods exports and larger services surplus narrowed the total April trade gap by the most on record. With imports plummeting, GDP growth in the second quarter is set to rebound, said Oxford Economics senior US economist Matthew Martin. But he warned in a note that headline growth figures "will overstate the true health of the economy." Overall in April, US imports dropped by 16.3 percent to $351 billion on a retreat in goods shipments. In particular, imports of consumer goods fell by $33 billion, data showed, with pullbacks in pharmaceuticals and cell phones. US exports ticked up by 3 percent to $289.4 billion, helped by goods exports such as those of industrial supplies. But US exports of autos and parts dropped by $3.3 billion. Besides wide-ranging tariffs targeting different countries, businesses have also been contending with sector-specific duties that Trump has rolled out in recent months. In March and April, the president slapped tariffs on imports of steel, aluminum and automobiles and he has since doubled the duties on both metals this month. The overall US deficit was the smallest since 2023, according to government figures. By Beiyi Seow


Mail & Guardian
4 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
Health association takes legal action against NHI Act
File photo by James Oatway The Health Funders Association this week launched a legal challenge against the President Cyril Ramaphosa The ANC, which governed the country solely until being forced into a national coalition after the polls, says the NHI is intended to provide universal and comprehensive health coverage to all South Africans. But it has faced fierce criticism from the private healthcare sector and parties such as the Health Funders Association chief executive Thoneshan Naidoo acknowledged this week that 'South Africa needs a healthcare system that delivers equitable, quality care to all [and] we fully support that vision.' But he added: 'In its current form, and without private sector collaboration, the NHI Act is fiscally impossible and operationally unworkable, and threatens the stability of the economy and health system, impacting everyone in South Africa.' The association filed its application at the Pretoria high court, joining five other medical entities that are fighting the law. The It argued that the framework in its current form was not fiscally feasible and would also have adverse effects on South Africa's healthcare and economic outcomes. 'The steep tax increases required to fund the NHI will reduce disposable income, curb consumer spending across all sectors of the economy and may well trigger an exodus of high-income taxpayers,' it said. 'At the same time, destabilising the private healthcare sector will deter investment, put jobs at risk, and slow The association's position is premised on a report by Genesis Analytics, published this week, which showed that the 'NHI Act requires unsustainable tax increases while reducing healthcare access for medical scheme members'. It said the analysis also revealed South Africa's racially diverse medical scheme membership, in which more than 68% of members are black, Indian or coloured, and up to 83% earn less than R37 500 a month. 'The proposed NHI would, therefore, disproportionately impact working-class households who currently rely on medical schemes for quality care.' Modelling by Genesis Analysis showed that it would be impossible to raise the funds required for NHI, 'even under the most optimistic assumptions'. 'For NHI to fund a level of care equivalent to what medical scheme members currently receive, as government has indicated is the intention, the Genesis model shows that personal income tax would need to increase by 2.2 times (a 115% increase in tax) from the current average rate of 21% to an average of 46% of income.' This, it said, would push marginal tax rates in the lowest income bracket from 18% to 41%, and in the highest bracket from 45% to 68%. Building its case, the association said the Genesis model projected that more than 286 000 additional healthcare professionals would be required to fulfil the NHI vision. This is more than twice the number of general practitioners, nurses and pharmacists and three times the number of specialists. 'NHI will therefore place significant pressure on healthcare workers and addressing these capacity gaps will require significant time and investment,' the association said. Naidoo added that South Africa does not have enough skilled workers to deliver the NHI's mandate. 'By driving down service tariffs, the NHI risks accelerating the emigration or exit of healthcare professionals from the sector altogether.' The country is already facing a medical professional 'brain drain'. A survey conducted last year by the South Africa Medical Association, which represents approximately 17 000 doctors across South Africa, showed that as many as 38% of its members intended to leave the country in response to the implementation of the NHI scheme. Last month, Ramaphosa defended the Act after the Board of Healthcare Funders, which represents most private medical schemes, said he flouted his constitutional duty by failing to scrutinise its constitutionality when he signed the NHI into law. It added that the president ignored submissions that pointed to the patent constitutional defects in the legislation. The Pretoria High Court ruled in favour of the board. Ramaphosa launched an appeal, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction in the matter and erred in finding that his decision to sign the new law was reviewable. The court found no merit in his argument on the separation of powers and said the step of assenting to a Bill was but part of a lawmaking process that was a reviewable exercise in public power.