Ramaphosa Visits White House To Mend U.S-South Africa Ties

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is in the United States for a meeting with President Donald Trump, seeking to ease rising tensions between the two countries through a proposed trade deal and economic cooperation.

Ramaphosa’s visit follows a dip in relations since Trump began his second term, marked by aid cuts, the expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador, and inflammatory remarks, with the U.S. accusing South Africa of targeting its white minority.

South Africa has dismissed the claims as unfounded and politically motivated.

“The visit will focus specifically on reframing bilateral, economic and commercial relations,” Ramaphosa’s office said ahead of the meeting.

The U.S. is South Africa’s second-largest trading partner, and the aid withdrawal has already had a tangible impact, particularly in HIV testing programmes affecting pregnant women, youth, and infants, according to Reuters.

In a televised interview before his departure, Ramaphosa stressed the importance of the U.S. relationship, stating “Whether we like it or not, we are joined at the hip and we need to be talking to them.”

At the center of his pitch to Trump is a trade package with potential incentives for U.S. companies.

Discussions may include lower tariffs on Tesla vehicles entering South Africa in exchange for investment in electric vehicle infrastructure, and regulatory approval for Starlink, both companies owned by South African-born billionaire Elon Musk.

Musk, a close Trump ally, has publicly accused Ramaphosa’s government of anti-white bias. Ramaphosa has rejected those claims.

Trump is expected to push for exemptions for American companies from South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws, which require businesses above a certain size to allocate 30% equity to historically disadvantaged groups or make equivalent investments in training and development.

These laws, seen as key to redressing apartheid-era inequalities, are politically sensitive and not easily negotiable.

Another key issue on the table is South Africa’s future in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which grants preferential access to the U.S. market.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, accompanying Ramaphosa, will seek to secure continued duty-free access for South African farmers amid Trump’s shifting trade policies.

Relations were further strained by a February 7 executive order from Trump, which condemned South Africa’s land reform policy and accused the government of inciting violence against white landowners.

The South African government called the order inaccurate, noting that crime statistics do not show white farmers being disproportionately targeted and that any land expropriation must pass judicial review and serve the public interest.

Three decades after the end of apartheid, South Africa remains economically divided along racial lines. Though they make up just 7% of the population, white South Africans still own about 75% of the country’s freehold farmland and remain significantly wealthier than the Black majority.

Ramaphosa, who led negotiations to end apartheid in the 1990s and later built one of South Africa’s largest Black-owned investment firms, is seen as a leader uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between politics and business.

“He is an international businessman, and I think that he must put that side of his personality first,” said Jan Venter, a political science lecturer at North-West University.

Analysts expect the conversation to also touch on access to critical minerals, a growing U.S. priority, but warn that economic proposals alone may not be enough to heal the rift.

“There’s political problems here that lie at the heart of the breakdown in the relationship,” said Joshua Meservey of the Hudson Institute.

“Trade deals can help, but they won’t fix everything,” he added.

Ramaphosa Visits White House To Mend U.S-South Africa Ties is first published on The Whistler Newspaper