Latest news with #US-SouthAfrican
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump ambushes S African leader with claim of Afrikaners being 'persecuted'
US President Donald Trump confronted his South African counterpart at the White House on Wednesday with a video Trump said supported his claim that white farmers were being "persecuted" in the country. The footage, played during a news conference with Cyril Ramaphosa, showed thousands of crosses lining a road that Trump claimed marked burial spots for murdered white farmers. Trump said he did not know where in South Africa it was filmed, and the footage has not been verified by the BBC. Ramaphosa - who appeared to weigh his response carefully - disputed Trump's allegation. He said black people were far more likely to be victims of violence in South Africa than white people. Trump also said that he would seek an "explanation" from his guest on claims of white "genocide" in South Africa, which have been widely discredited. Ramaphosa came to the White House on Wednesday for trade talks to reset US-South African relations. He had hoped to charm Trump with the inclusion of two of South Africa's best-known golfers in the delegation. Ramaphosa also came equipped with a gift of a huge book featuring his country's golf courses. But after a cordial start, the mood in the Oval Office shifted as Trump asked for the lighting to be lowered so a video could be played. Is there a genocide of white South Africans as Trump claims? Do Afrikaners want to take Trump up on his refugee offer? 'I didn't come here for fun' - Afrikaner defends refugee status in US The film featured the voice of leading South African opposition figure Julius Malema singing the song: "Shoot the Boer [Afrikaner], Shoot the farmer". It also showed a field of crosses, which the US president, talking over the images, said was a burial site of white farmers. A tweet in the video itself described the crosses as part of a protest, not graves, saying these crosses represent farmers who have been killed. Trump then handed Ramaphosa what appeared to be print-outs of stories of white people being attacked in South Africa. "What you saw - the speeches that were made... that is not government policy," Ramaphosa responded. "We have a multiparty democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves. "Our government policy is completely against what he [Malema] was saying even in the parliament and they are a small minority party, which is allowed to exist according to our constitution." Referring to the crosses in the video, Trump later said, "The farmers are not black. I don't say that's good or bad, but the farmers are not black..." Ramaphosa responded by saying he hoped that Trump would listen to the voices of South Africans on this issue. The South African leader pointed out the white members of his delegation, including golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and South Africa's richest man Johann Rupert. "If there was a genocide, these three gentlemen would not be here," Ramaphosa said. Trump interrupted: "But you do allow them to take land, and then when they take the land, they kill the white farmer, and when they kill the white farmer nothing happens to them." "No," Ramaphosa responded. Trump appeared to be referring to a controversial law signed by Ramaphosa earlier this year, which allows the government to seize privately-owned land without compensation in some circumstances. The South African government says no land has yet been seized under the act. Speaking to Trump on Wednesday, Ramaphosa did acknowledge that there was "criminality in our country... people who do get killed through criminal activity are not only white people, the majority of them are black people". As Trump pressed the issue, Ramaphosa stayed calm - and tried to work his charm by making a joke about offering a plane to the US. He invoked the name of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, saying South Africa remained committed to racial reconciliation. When a journalist asked what would happen if white farmers left South Africa, Ramaphosa deflected the question to his white agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, who said that most farmers wanted to stay. But Trump kept firing salvoes at Ramaphosa, who avoided entering into a shouting match with him - something that happened to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he met Trump in the same room in February. Earlier this month, a group of 59 white South Africans arrived in the US, where they were granted refugee status. Ramaphosa said at the time they were "cowards". Before Wednesday's White House meeting, South Africa's leader had stressed that improving trade relations with the US was his priority. South African exports into the US face a 30% tariff once a pause on Trump's new import taxes ends in July. After the confrontation, Malema mocked the meeting, describing it as "a group of older men meet in Washington to gossip about me." "No significant amount of intelligence evidence has been produced about white genocide. We will not agree to compromise our political principles on land expropriation without compensation for political expediency," he posted on X. Tensions between South Africa and the US ramped up days after Trump took office for his second term in January. It was at that point that Ramaphosa signed into law the controversial bill that allows South Africa's government to expropriate privately-owned land in cases when it is deemed "equitable and in the public interest". The move only served to tarnish the image of Africa's biggest economy in the eyes of the Trump administration - already angered by its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. In February, the US president announced the suspension of critical aid to South Africa and offered to allow members of the Afrikaner community - who are mostly white descendants of early Dutch and French settlers - to settle in the US as refugees. South Africa's ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, was also expelled in March after accusing Trump of "mobilising a supremacism" and trying to "project white victimhood as a dog whistle". Additional reporting by Khanyisile Ngcobo and Farouk Chothia Can Mandela's former negotiator fix fractious relations with Trump? Is it checkmate for South Africa after Trump threats? What's really driving Trump's fury with South Africa? Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump confronts S African leader with claim of Afrikaners being 'persecuted'
US President Donald Trump has confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House with a video that the US president said supports his claim that white farmers are being "persecuted" in the country. The footage shown during a news conference with the South African leader purported to show the gravesites of murdered farmers. Trump did not say where it was filmed, and the footage has not been verified by the BBC. Ramaphosa - who appeared to weigh up carefully how to respond - disputed Trump's allegation. He said black people were far more likely to be victims of violence in South Africa than white people. The US president also said he would seek an "explanation" from his guest on widely discredited claims of a white "genocide" in South Africa. Ramaphosa came to the White House on Wednesday for trade talks to reset US-South African relations. He had hoped to charm Trump with the inclusion of two of South Africa's best-known golfers in the delegation. Ramaphosa also came equipped with a gift of a huge book featuring his country's golf courses. But after a cordial start, the mood in the Oval Office shifted as Trump asked for the lighting to be lowered so a video could be played. Is there a genocide of white South Africans as Trump claims? Do Afrikaners want to take Trump up on his refugee offer? 'I didn't come here for fun' - Afrikaner defends refugee status in US The film featured the voice of leading South African opposition figure Julius Malema singing the song: "Shoot the Boer [Afrikaner], Shoot the farmer". It also showed a field of crosses, which the US president, talking over the images, said was a burial site of white farmers. He then handed Ramaphosa what appeared to be print-outs of stories of white people being attacked in South Africa. "What you saw - the speeches that were made... that is not government policy," Ramaphosa responded. "We have a multiparty democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves. "Our government policy is completely against what he [Malema] was saying even in the parliament and they are a small minority party, which is allowed to exist according to our constitution." Ramaphosa said he hoped that Trump would listen to the voices of South Africans on this issue. The South African leader pointed out the white members of his delegation, including golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and South Africa's richest man Johann Rupert. "If there was a genocide, these three gentlemen would not be here," Ramaphosa said. Trump interrupted: "But you do allow them to take land, and then when they take the land, they kill the white farmer, and when they kill the white farmer nothing happens to them." "No," Ramaphosa responded. Ramaphosa did acknowledge that there was "criminality in our country... people who do get killed through criminal activity are not only white people, the majority of them are black people". As Trump pressed the issue, Ramaphosa stayed calm - and tried to work his charm by making a joke about offering a plane to the US. He invoked the name of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, saying South Africa remained committed to racial reconciliation. When a journalist asked what would happen if white farmers left South Africa, Ramaphosa deflected the question to his white agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, who said that most farmers wanted to stay. But Trump kept firing salvoes at Ramaphosa, who avoided entering into a shouting match with him - something that happened to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he met Trump in the same room in February. Earlier this month, a group of 59 white South Africans arrived in the US, where they were granted refugee status. Ramaphosa said at the time they were "cowards". Before Wednesday's White House meeting, South Africa's leader had stressed that improving trade relations with the US was his priority. South African exports into the US face a 30% tariff once a pause on Trump's new import taxes ends in July. Tensions between South Africa and the US ramped up days after Trump took office for his second term in January. It was at that point that Ramaphosa signed into law a controversial bill allowing South Africa's government to expropriate privately owned land without compensation in certain circumstances, when it is deemed "equitable and in the public interest". This only served to tarnish the image of Africa's biggest economy in the eyes of the Trump administration - already angered by its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. In February, the US president announced the suspension of critical aid to South Africa and offered to allow members of the Afrikaner community - who are mostly white descendants of early Dutch and French settlers - to settle in the US as refugees. South Africa's ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, was also expelled in March after accusing Trump of "mobilising a supremacism" and trying to "project white victimhood as a dog whistle". Additional reporting by Khanyisile Ngcobo and Farouk Chothia Can Mandela's former negotiator fix fractious relations with Trump? Is it checkmate for South Africa after Trump threats? What's really driving Trump's fury with South Africa? Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
The South African
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Donald Trump schools Cyril Ramaphosa in heated White House meeting
A high-stakes Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa took a dramatic turn on Wednesday as Trump aired unverified claims of a 'genocide' against white Afrikaner farmers in South Africa, overshadowing efforts to strengthen diplomatic and trade ties between the two nations. What began as a cordial discussion quickly descended into confrontation, fulfilling the fears of Ramaphosa's aides who had warned that the South African leader might be stepping into a politically charged ambush. During the meeting, Donald Trump showed a video and images depicting white crosses and graphic scenes he claimed illustrated the widespread killing of white farmers. 'Each one of those white things you see is a cross, and there's approximately a thousand of them. They're all white farmers,' Trump told Ramaphosa, referring to the video playing on a screen in the room. Ramaphosa initially adopted a warm tone, proposing a reset in US-South African relations and promoting trade. He even presented Trump with a 14kg book about golf in South Africa, joking that he had begun playing the sport himself. But tensions mounted when Ramaphosa was asked how he might change Trump's views on the country. 'It will take President Trump listening to the voices of South Africans, some of whom are his good friends,' he replied. He added that calls for land expropriation without compensation came from a 'small minority' and did not reflect national policy. Also present at the meeting were South Africa-born billionaire Elon Musk, a vocal critic of South Africa's current policies, and golfing legends Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. All three expressed concerns about safety in the country. Musk and Trump have both publicly echoed the controversial narrative that white South Africans are facing targeted persecution – a view dismissed by Ramaphosa and many South African officials as a fringe conspiracy theory. Donald Trump reiterated his opposition to South Africa's new land expropriation bill, signed by Ramaphosa last year, which allows for the seizure of certain types of unused or abandoned land without compensation. While similar to eminent domain laws in the US, the South African law has sparked international criticism, especially among right-wing commentators. 'Farmers are being killed,' Trump said firmly. 'We have had a tremendous number of people, especially white farmers, fleeing South Africa. It's a very sad thing to see.' Ramaphosa, a former labour leader and lawyer who has governed since 2018, pushed back, explaining that the land reform legislation aims to address historical injustices dating back to apartheid and is not a racial targeting mechanism. The South African delegation included Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza, who dismissed claims of genocide as 'nonsense,' as well as Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel, Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, and billionaire Johann Rupert. Rupert, himself a frequent target of race-based criticism from far-left South African figures, urged the discussion to focus on solutions, including technology investment and economic development. The meeting comes against the backdrop of fraying diplomatic ties. Earlier this year, Trump froze most US aid to South Africa, citing persecution of white Afrikaners and Pretoria's filing of a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide. Last week, the US admitted its first group of white South African refugees, flown in on a chartered plane after being granted asylum. The fallout has cast a long shadow over South Africa's leadership of the G20 this year. The US has notably avoided several key meetings of the bloc, resisting calls for collaborative action on issues such as global debt relief and climate change. Despite the heated exchanges, efforts to focus on investment and economic cooperation were not entirely lost. Els and Goosen highlighted the broader security challenges facing all South Africans, while Rupert appealed for US support in areas such as infrastructure, innovation, and social development. Whether the meeting marks a permanent rupture or a turning point in the two countries' complex relationship remains to be seen. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The South African
'Expect Ramaphosa to get mugged by Trump like Zelensky': US correspondent warns
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been warned to expect an 'ambush' from US President Donald Trump when the two leaders meet in Washington next week. They are scheduled to discuss restoring diplomatic and trade relations between their countries. Recently, tensions have risen between the US and South Africa, as Trump has accused the South African government of discriminating against minorities, particularly Afrikaners. In an interview with Newzroom Afrika , US correspondent Simon Marks suggested that Ramaphosa might face treatment similar to that of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this year. During Zelensky's visit to the Oval Office, he was heavily questioned and called 'disrespectful' for 'gambling with a world war.' 'I think this is going to be the highest stakes bilateral meeting, quite literally, in US-South African history. There has never been a moment where the relationship has been at such a low point, including during the apartheid era. I think the difficulty with President Ramaphosa is that President Trump has in his mind this fixed position,' Marks said. 'President Trump has repeatedly suggested that Afrikaners are being expropriated of their land without confiscation under the terms of the Expropriation Act. He's also advanced in recent days the argument that Afrikaner farmers are the victims of genocide in South Africa and clearly President Ramaphosa wants to push back on that disinformation.' Marks felt it would be a difficult task for Ramaphosa to convince Trump due to the US leader having a fixed mindset on South African issues. 'The scenes that you spoke about that played out when President Zelensky was barracked at the White House, I think, essentially mugged by Trump and his vice JD Vance. There is every risk of that happening again,' he said. This week, Ramaphosa said that he and Trump had held a telephonic conversation over the issues affecting the country. 'I said 'president, what you have been told by those people who are opposed to transformation back home in South Africa is not true. 'I added that we were well taught by Nelson Mandela and other iconic leaders like Oliver Tambo on how to build a united nation out of the diverse groupings that we have in South Africa.' Marks has warned that Ramaphosa offering a 'civic class' about the ANC's history to Trump might backfire. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Business Insider
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
South Africa to appoint new US ambassador after diplomatic rift
South Africa is set to appoint a new ambassador to the US following the expulsion of former envoy Ebrahim Rasool in March 2025. International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola has confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa will name a successor once Special Envoy Mcebisi Jonas lays the groundwork for restoring bilateral ties. South Africa will appoint a new US ambassador after the 2025 expulsion of former envoy Ebrahim Rasool. Rasool's expulsion, due to criticisms of Trump administration policies, strained US-South Africa relations. The South African government aims to strengthen bilateral relations with focus on mutual interests and cooperation. Rasool was declared persona non grata by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for criticising the Trump administration's policies. The removal marks a major setback in US-South African relations, which have been strained over issues including land reform and South Africa's lawsuits against Israel at the International Court of Justice. In response, President Ramaphosa appointed Jonas, a former Deputy Finance Minister, as Special Representative to the United States effective April 14, 2025. Jonas is tasked with working with U.S. officials and stakeholders to improve diplomatic and trade relations. Minister Lamola stressed that Jonas' role is to 'lay the foundations that will help us navigate uncharted waters' and that the appointment of a new representative will take place in due course.
