South African President Cyril Ramaphosa came to Washington over May 19-22 to meet with President Donald Trump in hopes of “recalibrating” and “revitalizing” their currently very tense bilateral relationship, reflected in the expulsion last March of the South African ambassador for being “anti-American,” and the cutoff of all U.S. federal funding to the country. South Africa is of course a founding member of the BRICS, a crucial leader on the African continent which works closely with fellow BRICS members in supporting the Global Majority’s drive for a new just international world order and an end to colonialism. South Africa is also the country that made the historic filing at the International Court of Justice denouncing genocide in Gaza.
Ramaphosa headed a large delegation in Washington, including his Industry and Trade Minister, Minister of the Presidency, International Relations Minister, and newly-appointed special envoy to the U.S. Mcebisi Jonas. Among other things, the delegation hoped to offer new investment opportunities to American businesses, especially in the energy sector, focusing on natural gas, mining, agriculture and transportation infrastructure, according to the office of the presidency. The funding cutoff has badly hurt South Africa.
A major source of bilateral tension has been President Trump’s false accusation that South Africa is guilty of “genocide” against white Afrikaners, charging that under new land policies, the lands of white farmers have been seized and many farmers killed. Thus Trump’s charge that Ramaphosa’s government is committing genocide. This past week, a first group of 59 Afrikaners arrived in Washington, having been easily and quickly granted refugee status and protection from alleged violence and “persecution.”
