South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the opening session of the G20 overseas ministers assembly in Johannesburg, South Africa in February.
Jerome Delay/AP
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Jerome Delay/AP
JOHANNESBURG — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will journey to Washington subsequent week to fulfill President Trump on the White Home on Wednesday “to debate bilateral, regional and international problems with curiosity,” his workplace has introduced.
The go to comes as relations between the U.S. and South Africa are at their lowest because the finish of apartheid. Trump has repeatedly claimed that “horrible issues are occurring” in South Africa, and invited Afrikaners to use for refugee standing within the U.S. On Monday, the primary group of some 59 white South Africans who had been accepted arrived in Washington on a U.S. government-chartered aircraft.
The assertion from Ramaphosa’s workplace stated that subsequent week’s go to “offers a platform to reset the strategic relations between the 2 international locations.”
In February, Trump minimize all support to South Africa – a longtime ally of the U.S. – in an govt order. The order cited the truth that the South African authorities – a agency supporter of Palestinians – accused Israel of genocide for its conflict in opposition to Hamas in Gaza, submitting a swimsuit within the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice within the Hague. It additionally alleged, with out proof, that white South Africans of Dutch descent, often known as Afrikaners, have been being persecuted due to their race.
Refugee nonprofits famous the Trump administration gave the group that arrived on Monday a rare reception not normally given to refugees – with high-ranking state division officers turning out to welcome them. The Afrikaners, together with kids, got small American flags to wave and have been informed by Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau that “it’s such an honor to have you ever right here.”
Landau drew parallels with the Afrikaners’ arrival in “the land of the free” and his circle of relatives’s expertise fleeing Nazi Germany.
The spectacle left many South Africans watching at house incredulous and noticed Ramaphosa make his strongest remarks on the matter but. He stated the group of Afrikaners have been “cowards,” as a result of they simply did not wish to dwell within the new South Africa, which has Black-majority rule. He stated many longed for the previous days of apartheid.
He dismissed claims by Trump, and his South African-born advisor Elon Musk, that Afrikaners are having their land confiscated or are being unfairly handled, noting, “We’re the one nation on the continent the place the colonizers got here to remain and we’ve by no means pushed them out of our nation.”
Ramaphosa stated he talked to Trump concerning the resettlements on the cellphone, and tried to make clear the problem, saying the U.S. chief had bought “the mistaken finish of the stick.”
Subsequent week, he’ll get an opportunity to remake his argument in particular person.
However regardless of specialists and information contradicting Trump’s claims about South Africa, the U.S. administration has continued with its broadsides in opposition to Pretoria, together with refusing to participate in G20 occasions the nation is internet hosting this yr because the group’s present president. Secretary of State Marco Rubio additionally kicked out the brand new ambassador from South Africa earlier this yr — accusing him of being a “race baiting politician” and hating Donald Trump.
Ramaphosa is a seasoned negotiator, who was instrumental within the talks that noticed the transition from apartheid to democracy within the Nineteen Nineties. Nevertheless, some South Africans took to social media saying they’re involved Trump may very well be meaning to humiliate him, noting the now notorious Oval Workplace assembly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this yr.
