May 19 (UPI) — South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa traveled to Washington, D.C., on Monday and will meet with President Donald Trump this week at the White House, where the two leaders will discuss “global issues of interest” amid strained relations.
Wednesday’s state visit will “provide a platform to reset the strategic relations between the two countries,” Ramaphosa’s office announced in a statement. South Africa and the United States have clashed repeatedly over the alleged persecution of White South Africans and Israel’s war in Gaza. The White House has not issued a schedule for the visit.
In February, Trump cut U.S. aid to South Africa over its land expropriation law, which allows local and national authorities to confiscate property. Trump has accused South Africa of discriminating against and taking land from White South Africans of Dutch descent, known as Afrikaners, which the South African government has denied.
“We’re the only country on the continent where the colonizers came to stay and we have never driven them out of our country,” Ramaphosa said.
Last week, the first group of 59 White South African refugees arrived in Washington, D.C., aboard a U.S. government-chartered plane. They will be given a path to U.S. citizenship and be eligible for government benefits, but were told, “You are expected to support yourself quickly in finding work.”
“This tremendous accomplishment responds to President Trump’s call to prioritize U.S. refugee resettlement of this vulnerable group facing unjust racial discrimination,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said last week in a statement. “No one should have to fear having their property seized without compensation or becoming the victim of violent attacks because of their ethnicity.”
Ramaphosa called the Afrikaners “cowards” and claimed they did not want to live in the new South Africa, which has Black-majority rule. He said Whites own more than 70% of the land there, despite making up just 7% of the population. Ramaphosa said many of his government’s policies are aimed at erasing racial inequality, which he called a product of apartheid.
Trump also threatened to cut aid to South Africa over government statements that Israel is committing Palestinian genocide in its war against Hamas in Gaza. South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel in 2023 at the International Court of Justice. The government accused Israel of “genocidal acts” during its assaults on Gaza. The case angered both the Biden and Trump administrations as the United States is a key supplier of weapons to Israel.
Trump’s executive order pausing aid to South Africa noted the ICJ case, the Afrikaner issue and accusations that South Africa has collaborated with Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Trump and Ramaphosa are expected to discuss the issues that have strained relations, as well as more common ground including business with Elon Musk for Tesla charging stations and SpaceX launch facilities. The two will also discuss Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. South Africa has remained neutral on the war and has urged both sides to end the conflict.
