South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has described his recent visit to Washington as a diplomatic and economic success despite tensions stemming from US President Donald Trump’s controversial claims about white South Africans facing genocide.
Since taking office in January, Trump’s administration has had a frosty relationship with South Africa, following repeated allegations that white citizens were being persecuted.
Trump’s stance led to a policy allowing white South Africans to seek refugee status in the US, a move Pretoria strongly opposed.
Ramaphosa met with Trump on 21 May in a bid to reset relations between the two nations and strengthen economic cooperation.
While opposition parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters and the uMkhonto weSizwe, criticised Ramaphosa for not forcefully denouncing the genocide allegations, the president maintained that misinformation spread by fringe groups had exacerbated tensions.
“In this context, it was critical for us to engage directly with the US administration to correct misinformation and provide a true account of the progress we have made as a democracy and the many and complex challenges we still face,” Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter on Monday.
Beyond addressing diplomatic concerns, the South African president noted the importance of deepening economic ties between the two nations.
The South African leader said the two leaders agreed to further cooperation on trade and investment, with plans for future engagements on tariff-related matters.
“Our successful working visit to the US reaffirmed the importance of keeping the channels of dialogue open. The willingness of the US to engage with South Africa on resetting our relationship is testament to the strength of the bilateral relationship.”
The US remains South Africa’s second-largest trading partner, with over 600 US-based companies operating in the country. These businesses collectively employ approximately 148,000 South Africans.
Ramaphosa highlighted existing trade and investment opportunities, including Microsoft’s planned R5.4 billion investment in cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure over the next two years.
He also pointed to increasing US corporate interest in South Africa’s energy sector, which was on display during a recent conference in Cape Town.
JN/APA