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Daily Maverick
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Ninth hole negotiations: Sneak time travel peek into Trump/Ramaphosa's meeting at Bedminster golf course
As the meeting on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, between presidents Donald Trump and Cyril Ramaphosa comes into focus, Daily Maverick has worked out a way to get the jump on all other reporting on the event. The key question is whether this meeting turns into a repeat of that dreadful Zelensky-Trump encounter, or will it be closer to the more normal-style Carney-Trump or Starmer-Trump meetings? Fortunately, there was a way to find out, but we had to get ahead of the press pack. So, we fired up our brand new teleportation-time machine, powered by a whole rack of Nvidia new generation computer chips connected to an array of quantum computers, and guided by some special Chinese-developed, generative AI software, and a flux capacitor. Using some ultra-accurate GPS readings, we set our vehicle to arrive at the precise coordinates of the woods bordering the ninth-hole green of Donald Trump's Bedminster golf course, at precisely 4pm, Eastern Daylight Time. We were extremely fortunate in having that ultra-closely held presidential schedule leaked to us yesterday by a source in the Union Buildings, as well as receiving the very same information passed along by an old acquaintance in the White House's transportation coordination team, naturally using the Signal communications app. Both sources thus confirmed that the two presidents would fly together to Trump's New Jersey golf club immediately after their Wednesday morning meeting in the Oval Office. The plan was for the two presidents to go to Trump's Bedminster club where they would play a round of golf to mark the conclusion of their talks in Washington — and, at a minimum, to recognise that the meeting hadn't been reduced to a rancorous, angry shouting match. Neither US Vice-President JD Vance nor Elon Musk were scheduled to participate in the golf match, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen were designated as honorary caddies. After the match, there would be a traditional American-style barbecue at the Bedminster club with a carefully selected group of representatives from major corporations with investments in South Africa — or companies considering African investments. My sources also told me secretly that Ramaphosa planned to present Trump with a special gold-plated putter, personally autographed by both Ernie Els and Gary Player, a copy of the book Ramaphosa wrote extolling the beauty of Ankole cows, as well as a mahogany, hand-carved, ceremonial Zulu staff, suitable for a royal prince. But no one-of-a-kind aeroplane. The Trump gift package included an autographed copy of his personally selected portrait for Time magazine when he was chosen as their Person of the Year (superimposed on maps of the Middle East and Ukraine), framed in gold and embossed with a newly minted family crest. Also included were autographed copies of The Art of the Deal and that Trump Bible, both books bound in hand-tooled bison hide, and adorned with a 24-carat gold-leaf American eagle motif. There was also a copy of the Melania book, autographed of course, plus a gold copy of a $Trump crypto coin. The time machine Putting some iron rations and a few other necessities in a rucksack and hoisting it on to my shoulders, I slid onto the saddle of our machine, pressed the start button, almost instantly smelled the faint odour of ozone in the air, and then, with a slight whirring and the dimming of the furniture in the office, the room lights flickered, just as HG Wells had predicted in his novel The Time Machine. Suddenly, there was a shudder as the machine put itself into pause/sleep mode and we were positioned right on the edge of the ninth hole, and we were obscured by a small grove of trees and azalea bushes. It was the perfect hide to be able to observe the two men's approach to the green without being seen by anybody else. I covered our machine with the camouflage cloth I had brought, took up my observation position, and set up my miniature video camera/recorder and a small dish antenna to pick up any exchanges between the two men. Just as I had calculated, within minutes they soon approached the tee for the ninth hole. Donald Trump graciously allowed the South African leader to take the first swing, and Ramaphosa hit a superb drive up the fairway, with the ball landing just twenty-five metres from the green. The American host then took his own swing. His ball landed even closer to the green, but it was poorly placed, virtually at the edge of the rough, off to the left. Both men then selected their irons and drove their golf balls towards the green, although the American president's ball rolled perilously close to the trees into some ground cover on the opposite side of the green, before rolling to a stop between two bushes. Ramaphosa's ball landed on the green, but because it had too much English on it, it spun towards the sand trap and then into it. While everyone else was watching the South African's shot, Donald Trump very quietly moved his ball a few inches with his foot to get a better shot back to the green, a move he took with a look of pure innocence on his face, betraying that fact he knew what he had done; the others knew it; and he knew that they knew — but that it simply did not matter. His course, his rules. For a moment, the Secret Service escorts and the assorted staffers, the two actual caddies and the two honorary caddies exchanged looks — but, finally, they all shrugged their shoulders, the code of presidential omertà at work. This was a game; it was not a war, after all, and the Oval Office talks had gone just well enough that it was not worth making a fuss over an infraction that could upset the balance. Let it be; let it be. Ramaphosa, meanwhile, took his best swing with his sand wedge and just managed to get the ball back on to the green, about 10 meters from the cup. Both men now had tough shots to the cup, but it was theoretically still possible to achieve par — if they were a bit lucky. The travelling members of the White House press corps were now jostling hard to get a closer look at the competition between the two golfers. Cameramen were clambering up their portable aluminium ladders in order to get better shots, even as the Secret Service was working to keep the media from spilling over on to the green. A police helicopter hovered overhead and two drone craft were patrolling the fairway as well. The growing clatter was now making it hard for the golfers to focus on their game. 'My club, my rules' Nevertheless, our antenna managed to pick up some fragments of conversation, despite the aerial noise level. Trump: … I like the ideas for an agreement to increase imports from the US into South Africa and to make it much easier for companies to set up their businesses in South Africa, hire foreign experts and managers, and operate without political interference. … Of course you will have to figure out some way to make all those racially biased regulations go away — I can't really make it sound like I was wrong in what I said before. But our two countries do have lots in common. Yes, I understand you have politics too. And you do have great golf courses, Gary Player has told me… Ramaphosa: … (static, unclear)… We really do want more American investment to grow the number of companies and jobs. We have lots of unemployed young people. Our future depends on creating employment, and lots of it. We already host more than 600 US companies. They are usually good corporate citizens, but we would love to have more of them, as long as they adhere to our laws, of course… … I hope our two senior staffs will reestablish a bilateral commission, a working group, and a war room to identify the impediments to such economic participation. We will be happy to set up a full educational process about our laws relating to expropriation — what Americans call eminent domain… … In addition, we offer to do whatever we can to bring an end to the awful Ukraine conflict — all those young men dying as you have reminded the world — and to offer our resources to help end the awful devastation in Gaza. While we can't retract our earlier push for an international court to address what the world sees daily on its television screens, I am glad we agree the achievement of a more permanent peace in the region is the goal. I am glad to see, too, that the United States is reaching out to Iran… … As for those Afrikaners who really wish to leave our land, let me just say we can assist in the departures, but let me give you an assurance we want all our skilled people — black and white — to contribute here. This could even extend even to people who emigrated years before, perhaps they can consider returning to the country of their birth… Trump: (interrupting)… Cyril, go ahead, hit your ball. I'll wait. It's okay, I'm the host, it's my club and golf course. My rules. The two men took careful aim and Ramaphosa's ball came painfully close to the cup, but stopped just short. Trump's ball, meanwhile, rolled forward and swirled around the top of the cup until a gust of wind from the helicopter or one of the drones pushed it back. Trump: Go ahead, tap it in. Close enough to count. Ramaphosa: Yours is a gimme, too. No problem. Trump: Hey, who's keeping score? Marco? Never mind, let's just call it a draw and go eat. You like a good grilled steak with ketchup and fries? Didn't you used to own some McDonalds restaurants? Great food there. Under the cerulean blue sky, with puffs of white clouds scudding across it, the two shook hands and smiled for photographers. The perfect photo. But then reality. There was no joint communiqué issued after the Oval Office meeting or from the following conversations over the golf match, at least not yet. The bilateral disagreements were yet to be resolved, despite the apparent bonhomie on display. This was a performance. The real diplomacy would have to come afterwards. We crept quietly back to our teleporter/time machine, took it out of sleep mode, and returned back to the present with our story. DM Letters will be edited.
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Ramaphosa and Trump: A pivotal meeting welcomed by the De Klerk Foundation
The FW de Klerk Foundation expressed support for the meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump, expected to take place on Wednesday. Image: Se-Anne Rall The FW de Klerk Foundation has expressed strong support for the upcoming meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump, saying both leaders are expected to deal with significant challenges facing the world. Ramaphosa arrived in Washington on Monday evening and his meeting with Trump is expected to take place on Wednesday. The foundation said the meeting should be welcomed and supported, having already advocated for constructive dialogue between the Union Buildings and the White House in an open letter released earlier this year. Trump has taken aim at South Africa after he was elected for the second term, citing disapproval of its land reform policy and the country's genocide case against US ally, Israel, before the International Court of Justice. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ His administration cut funding to the country in February and last week granted refugee status to a group of White Afrikaners it said were facing racial discrimination and persecution - a claim the government has denied. Upon his arrival in the US, the Presidency said the purpose of the visit was to reset and retrieve bilateral relations between SA and the US. 'In this regard, the visit will focus specifically on reframing bilateral, economic and commercial relations,' read a statement. FW de Klerk Foundation believes that matters that benefit both South Africa and the US should be focused on, rather than trivial domestic issues. The foundation said the spotlight should be particularly focused on trade and matters related to strategic geo-political cooperation. South Africa remains the US's largest trading partner in Africa, with trade between the two countries amounting to more than $20 billion. Approximately 600 US companies are operating in South Africa and they employ up to 200,000 people. The US also imports several important minerals from SA, these include platinum, gold, chromium, manganese and various other ores and slag. According to the Minerals Council, platinum group metals form a significant part of SA's exports to the US, such as iron and steel. 'These exports amounted to approximately US$10.94 million in 2024. The Trump administration has also exempted these minerals from his tariff hikes,' said the foundation. The foundation said Ramaphosa also plays a highly strategic role behind the scenes. It said Ramaphosa's ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as the fact he has the ear of Iran and Hamas, puts him in a unique position to work with the US to help peace to conflict-torn parts of the world. 'He has already touched on these issues in an earlier telephone conversation with President Trump. In addition, let's not forget his good relationship with President Xi Jinping of China,' said the foundation, adding that Ramaphosa should use these 'trump' cards to help promote world peace and to help negotiate a global trade regime. 'The world faces significant challenges. Poverty, underdevelopment, famine, crime, international drug cartels and terrorist groups pose major risks to world peace and stability. Statesmanship and visionary leadership are needed to tackle these challenges together. This is what both South Africans and Americans expect from their political leaders.' Ramaphosa will be accompanied by International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, as well as Mcebisi Jonas, who is the Special Envoy to the US.
IOL News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Only the EFF can liberate black South Africans' – Malema at Vat Victory march
South Africa - Pretoria - 19 May 2025. The EFF President Julius Malema leads the VAT victory march from the Union Buildings to the National Treasury. Pictures: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers EFF leader Julius Malema says his party is the only party that can liberate South Africans, praising it for doing more than their 9% of the electoral votes at the national level. Malema addressed party supporters outside the office of the National Treasury in Pretoria on Monday. The red berets embarked on what they described as a 'VAT victory' march, celebrating what the party deems a major triumph for the people of South Africa. Malema urged his people to continue pushing to ensure that the EFF becomes the only hope for the people. 'Let's build lower structures that work. Build the EFF - it will look after you. 'Look at the EFF taking care of you with just 9%, imagine if you put zero next to that 9%. What will happen to this country? What will happen to this continent? 'We are the only ones who can liberate black people,' he said.
Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
South African leader and Trump will meet next week after US took in white South Africans as refugees
Ramaphosa's office said he will be in the U.S. from Monday to Thursday of next week, and will meet with Trump on Wednesday at the White House. Ramaphosa's trip would aim to 'reset the strategic relationship between the two countries,' his office said. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The White House had no immediate comment on the meeting, which would be Trump's first with the leader of a nation in Africa since he returned to office in January. Trump has criticized South Africa's Black-led government on multiple fronts and issued an executive order Feb. 7 cutting all U.S. funding to the country as punishment for what he said were its anti-white policies at home and anti-American foreign policy. The Republican president has singled out South Africa over what the U.S. calls racist laws against whites and has accused the government of 'fueling' violence against white farmers. The South African government says the relatively small number of killings of white farmers should be condemned but are part of the country's problems with violent crime and are not racially motivated. Advertisement Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa's president, during a news conference at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, on April 24. Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg Trump said Monday — the same day that the first batch of Afrikaner refugees arrived at Dulles International Airport in Virginia — that there was 'a genocide taking place' against white farmers that was being ignored by international media. The U.S. criticism of what it calls South Africa's racist, anti-white laws appears to refer to South Africa's affirmative action laws that advance opportunities for Black people, and a new land expropriation law that gives the government power to take private land without compensation. Although the government says the land law is not a confiscation tool and refers to unused land that can be redistributed for the public good, some Afrikaner groups say it could allow their land to be seized and redistributed to some of the country's Black majority. Since returning to office in January, Trump has issued orders to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government. The administration has also threatened nongovernmental institutions like colleges and universities with the loss of financial aid unless they do the same. Trump also required government contractors and other recipients of federal funds to certify, under threat of severe financial penalties, that they do not operate DEI programs that violate anti-discrimination laws. Related : Afrikaners are descendants of mainly Dutch, French and German colonial settlers who first came to South Africa in the 17th century. They were the leaders of the country's previous apartheid system of racial segregation. There are around 2.7 million Afrikaners among South Africa's population of 62 million, which is more than 80% Black. There are also nearly 2 million other whites of British and other descent. Advertisement Trump has also accused South Africa of taking 'aggressive positions towards the U.S. and its allies' in its foreign policy and of being a supporter of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, and Iran. Afrikaner refugees from South Africa arrived at Dulles International Airport on Monday. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press Trump's executive order cited South Africa's decision to accuse U.S. ally Israel of genocide in Gaza in an ongoing case at the International Court of Justice as an example of its anti-American stance. Israel opened a military offensive in Gaza after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in an October 2023 intrusion into southern Israel. The Israeli operation has killed over 52,928 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. Almost 3,000 have been killed since Israel broke a ceasefire on March 18, the ministry said. Israel has resumed blocking food, fuel, medicine and all other supplies from entering Gaza for weeks, worsening a humanitarian crisis for 2.3 million Palestinians Ramaphosa has spoken repeatedly of his desire to engage with Trump diplomatically and improve the relationship. He says Trump's criticism is based on false information he's being given about South Africa's laws and the attacks on farmers.
Daily Maverick
28-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
No beating about the Ukrainian bush will solve Tshwane's Washington problem
President Cyril Ramaphosa's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Tshwane this past week is to be welcomed. It may even show that South Africa is finally moving away from years of blind loyalty to Russia's Vladimir Putin in favour of a more balanced approach to the invasion of Ukraine. Ramaphosa spoke with US President Donald Trump ahead of the meeting to signal to the US that South Africa wants to be a constructive player on the global stage. More pertinently, Ramaphosa is now facing the embarrassment of hosting a G20 meeting boycotted by the US, which is taking over the organisation's presidency from South Africa at the end of the year. And thousands of jobs — mostly in unionised sectors — are set to be lost unless tariffs can be staved off and the Agoa trade programme maintained. Ramaphosa's base is built on his strong relationship with the unions, and he does not want to be an agent of further deindustrialisation. This change in posture has come about following months of fumbling the relationship with a defiant stance that was best illustrated by the ill-considered comments of, first, Ramaphosa himself in his State of the Nation of Address when he stated with regard to Washington that 'We will not be bullied', and by South Africa's former ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, among other senior ANC leaders who appeared willing to sacrifice the US-SA relationship on the altar of populist rhetoric. However, it would be a mistake to read too much into this 'reset'. Ramaphosa may be presenting a new face to the world, but the ANC remains doggedly committed to a foreign policy which seeks to undermine the West and build a new power bloc with Russia and China as the leading components under the BRICS rubric. And, at home, the ANC continues to act as though it is the sole holder of power despite being forced into a coalition after dropping well below 50% in the last election. It attempted to ram through a VAT increase despite the opposition of almost all other parties and was forced to back down when a humiliating court ruling loomed. Instead of clinging to its old liberation movement playbook, the ANC would do well to reinvent itself as a modern political party capable of navigating the fraught domestic and global environments with the best interests of the country — and not its cadres — at heart. Strategic goal Zelensky visited South Africa with a clear strategic goal: Establish an African diplomatic ally to help offset Russian influence on the continent, and build a case for Ukraine that strengthens its negotiating position not only with respect to Moscow but increasingly the US. It is questionable whether South Africa is the best means to achieve this, the attempt at a reset notwithstanding. Presumably, the strategic thinking — presuming there is strategic thinking — in the Union Buildings is to try to build a bridge with Zelensky and parlay that into influence on the peace talks, improving South Africa's position with Washington in the process. Ultimately, this will, of course, be at the cost of Zelensky and Ukraine, necessary and useful fools in the wider South African game. However, this premise overstates South Africa's limited leverage. It cannot offer security guarantees, assistance with post-negotiation peacekeeping or economic help for a post-war recovery. For a limited time — only until the G20 caravan leaves town in December — South Africa may punch above its weight, but only if it plays the game well. The areas of commonality are also few and far between. The only thing (apparently) that Ukraine, South Africa and the Trump White House appear to agree on is that the war should not have occurred, even though the South African government was remarkably silent in the face of Russian aggression, refusing to hold Moscow accountable and worse, mounting countless displays of solidarity, from joint naval exercises to ubiquitous grinning photo opportunities with the Russian leadership. Tshwane will compromise its reputation still further if it is seen to support what Trump imposes and has no leverage whatever to ameliorate it. In the end, Ramaphosa is talking to Trump through Putin, Zelensky is talking to Trump through Ramaphosa, and Trump is not listening to any of them. If South Africa wants to restore its relations with Washington, it needs to go far deeper and address the substance at the root of the bilateral US-SA problem. First, it needs to cut a deal on Starlink, as part of a wider deal in opening up the economy to investors free from statism and race stipulations. Second, it needs to step back on its singling out of Israel for genocide charges at the International Court of Justice and, as a first step, reinstate ambassadors in both Israel and South Africa. Third, it needs to cut a reciprocal US-SA trade deal. There is no amount of beating about the Ukrainian bush that is going to solve this foreign policy conundrum. DM
