WASHINGTON: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet Donald Trump on Wednesday amid tensions over the resettlement of white Washingtonians, who the US president claims is a victim of “genocide.”The Trump administration of about 50 white South Africans was recognized last week – even if it stops refugees from most of the world, it is set to control a White House meeting.Ramaphosa hopes to reset his historically low relationship with key trading partners, but he also hopes to stand up to Trump for what Pretoria says is a false claim to persecution.
The South African president will emphasize to Trump that South Africa's “white genocide” plot is “patently false,” his spokesman Vincent Magwenia said.“We need to reset our relationship,” he added.Ramaphosa may also give birth to a gift, along with reports that his government will provide Trump advisor Elon Musk with a contract to run his Starlink network in the country.Tech Tycoon Musk was born in South Africa and was a supporter of unfounded claims that white farmers were being targeted in the country for murder.Trump appears to have bought it to the allegations of his billionaire allies.The first group of about 50 white South Africans arrived in the United States on May 12 after Trump offered to evacuate to African minorities.“It's a genocide that people don't want to write about,” Trump told reporters the day they arrived.“White farmers have been brutally killed, and their land has been confiscated in South Africa.”Trump's administration was particularly critical of the Land Employment Act, signed in January, aimed at rectifying historical inequality from the apartheid era of white minority rule.Ramaphosa rejected Washington's claim that the law would be used to arbitrarily confiscate white-owned land.“Reset and Activation” Land ownership is a controversial issue in post-apartheid South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people, despite the fact that it only covers 7.3% of the population.Some right-wing African lobby groups claim Afrikaans farmers were killed in targeted killings, but authorities say this is unfounded.Police figures show that most of the victims of the high and diverse homicide rates in South Africa are young black men from urban areas.But Trump and his team were also torn apart by a string of other policies in South Africa. This is a vital country seen by its previous administration as a key ally of Washington.He accused Israel of Gaza in the International Court of Justice of Gaza, announcing a 31% tariff and accused the pretoria ambassador of ousting Trump's American great (MAGA) movement.Thus, the experienced diplomat Ramaphosa ends up walking on the tightrope when he meets Trump in his oval office.The US president's iconic mind has been transformed into something like an endurance test for foreign leaders who want to curry unpredictable Trump favors in his second term.Ramaphosa specifically tries to avoid the fate of Ukrainian President Voldy Mirzelensky, who was criticized by Trump and US Vice President JD Vance in front of news cameras in February.Trade will become one of Ramaphosa's top topics.The US is South Africa's second-largest trading partner, but the announcement that Trump would clean up in April — a 90-day suspension later sparked fears about the automotive industry and major sectors, including the citrus growers.“The purpose of the visit is to reset and revitalize bilateral relations between South Africa and the United States,” read the statement issued by President Pretoria.
