Ramaphosa's meeting with Trump expected to revive trade relations with US
During an address at the WEF president Cyril Ramaphosa said through South Africa's G20 presidency the country will demonstrate its unwavering commitment to global solidarity, equality and sustainability.
JOHANNESBURG - He called and President Cyril Ramaphosa answered.
The President will have a crucial meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House this week. He's expected to correct the misinformation that's been spreading about a white genocide in South Africa.
ENCA reporter Pule Letshwiti-Jones spoke to Dr Zimkhitha Manyana, who is an International Relations lecturer at Wits University.
Manyana believes that the meet-up has a potential of strengthening trade relations between the two countries.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
What Trump vs Musk makes us appreciate about South Africa
You just can't imagine that kind of behaviour among real South African leaders. This combination of pictures created on 12 August 2024 shows, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, left, and former US president and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Picture: Frederic J Brown and Brendan Smialowski/ AFP Can you imagine Johan Rupert, Oppenheimer or Motsepe publicly feuding with the president of the nation? Could you imagine them going at it and stopping just short of calling the president a sex predator? Probably not. That's because it's pretty unbecoming for business people to try to sway public opinion against a sitting president. Then again, it's pretty unbecoming of a president to do the same to some important economic drivers. You just can't imagine that kind of behaviour among real South African leaders. Sure, you'd expect it to come from the 'small boys', but those really driving the national agenda, for all their flaws, actually behave respectably. Just try to imagine the anger between the parties during the now-forgotten spat over the budget. Fixing our problems For all of that anger, all we got were a few matter-of-fact statements from various sides, but nothing along the lines of name-calling and bashing, at least nothing to the American extent. We might not have the economy and infrastructure, but we can still look one another in the eye when having a disagreement. It seems our leadership, with all its flaws, is still capable of picking up a phone and sorting issues out rather than committing the public to our battles. We vote for politicians so they can do that battling of our interests for us, not to abuse us as their useful idiots to drive their own agendas. And we've been pretty solid of late on holding them to account on that. They may not be incredibly good at hearing us holding them to account, but we'll take it in baby steps. For now, we can be grateful that poor form can swing more than 10% of an electorate. That would never happen in the USA because no matter how bad things get, they still have their guy. Their democracy has a personality cult bent to it. ALSO READ: Trump and Musk alliance melts down in blazing public row Petty politics While we do love a bit of our Fikiles, Jacbobs and Cyrils, the faith is personality is not that strong. Ask your boys Ace and Carl, but you won't because they're no longer your boys. It's that level of decorum that may seem mundane and a non-issue but is really driving some of what is right in South Africa. Obviously, you'd want political leaders who are firm and robust in stature, and that does involve a significant amount of disagreement. Goodness gracious, though. The world's most powerful man taking on the world's richest man to gain the popular support of the rest of the country's men does seem so…petty. Fighting for a debate Americans should ask themselves why these two dudes are so invested in making this spat public. Surely, if they disagree, they could pick up the phone and discuss it. One has a whole satellite constellation, and the other has a whole military. You can't tell me that they don't have the equipment to have a call. It's because the point isn't to win the debate. It's for the debate, if you can call it that, to go on. That way, they get a platform to continue building their cults, which will eventually battle it out. It's already so powerful that it inspired an insurrection years ago. What would this, much bigger, fight yield? There's so much we can be upset about in our country. There's a lot going wrong, but a fundamental to fixing the issues is that we're still able to talk directly without turning the public into ammunition for personal interests. You can be upset with Cyril's lack of action, silly actions when he takes them, and insistence on pursuing inept policy. You can even be upset with him for the poor economy. You cannot be upset with him for rude, dictatorial and abrasive behaviour because, unlike his US counterpart, he still has the fundamentals of democratic leadership in place. Anyway, sterke daar Suid-Afrikaanse refugees. NOW READ: Elon Musk unceremoniously steps down from Trump administration
eNCA
3 hours ago
- eNCA
Trump deploys National Guard over LA immigration protests
LOS ANGELES - US President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 troops on Saturday to handle escalating protests against immigration enforcement raids in the Los Angeles area, a move the state's governor termed "purposefully inflammatory." Federal agents clashed with angry crowds in a Los Angeles suburb as protests stretched into a second night Saturday, shooting flash-bang grenades and shutting part of a freeway amid raids on undocumented migrants, reports said. The standoff took place in Paramount, where demonstrators had gathered near a Home Depot that was being used as a staging area by federal immigration officials, the Fox 11 news outlet reported. They were met by federal agents in gas masks, who lobbed flash-bang grenades and tear gas at the crowd, according to news reports and social media posts. Since taking office in January, Republican Trump has delivered on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants -- who he has likened to "monsters" and "animals." Late Saturday, Trump signed a memo deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen "to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs." About an hour before the White House confirmed the deployment, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said he opposed the move. "That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions," he said on social media platform X. "We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need." The protests came a day after masked and armed immigration agents carried out high-profile workplace raids in separate parts of Los Angeles, attracting angry crowds and setting off hours-long standoffs. LA Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that some city residents were "feeling fear" following the federal immigration enforcement actions. "Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable," she said on X. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said multiple arrests had been made following Friday's clashes.
TimesLIVE
9 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Puff n' pass the G20 sherpa spirit
In a recent media briefing, international relations & co-operation minister Ronald Lamola gave a G20 Presidency progress report titled 'Five months of purposeful leadership', in which he detailed the critical issues being addressed across the various working groups — including but not limited to pursing enhanced international tax cooperation and addressing illicit financial flows; and ensuring trade policies actively support sustainable development objectives...
