Cyril Ramaphosa Plans to Send Delegation to Conduct Deals With Donald Trump, Mzansi Not Impressed
- President Cyril Ramaphosa signalled his intention to send a delegation to meet with Donald Trump
- The president stated that they wanted to meet with the US leader to address a host of issues
- South Africans are questioning why Ramaphosa is running after the US president once again
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has spent a decade reporting on the South African political landscape, crime and social issues. He spent 10 years working for a community newspaper before transitioning to online
President Cyril Ramaphosa still wants to send a delegation to meet with Donald Trump, but South Africans think it’s a bad idea.
The relationship between the United States of America and South Africa has been strained recently, and Ramaphosa hopes to fix it. Tensions arose between the two nations after Trump claimed that the government was confiscating land and treating a section of the population poorly.
His comments came on the back of Ramaphosa signing the Expropriation Act into law, and AfriForum’s claims that Afrikaners were being mistreated.
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South Africa to send delegation to USA
Speaking on the sidelines of G20 meetings on 27 February 2025, Ramaphosa signalled his intent to send a delegation to Washington to address a host of issues.
“We would like to go to the US to do a deal. We don’t want to go and explain ourselves, we want to go and do a meaningful deal on a whole range of issues,” he said.
He explained that they wanted to address a whole lot of issues, including trade, diplomatic, and political issues.
US delegates ditch G20 meetings
Ramaphosa’s comments also come after two US delegates opted to skip the G20 meetings in South Africa.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio first pulled out, saying that the country was anti-American. The USA’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent then announced he would not be attending, citing domestic obligations as the reason.
The US is South Africa’s second-biggest trading partner and also next in line to take over the G20 presidency.
What you need to know about US and SA relations
- South Africans accused AfriForum of treason after the organisation supported Donald Trump's claims about the country
- The SA Chamber of Commerce in the US is worried about the impact of Trump's recent statements
- South Africans welcomed the US Secretary of State’s decision not to attend G20 meetings
- Donald Trump is not yet a guaranteed attendee at the G20 Summit in South Africa later this year
Source: Getty Images
South Africans unhappy with Ramaphosa’s intention
Social media users expressed disappointment in Ramaphosa’s statement, believing that South Africa didn’t need to run after the US.
Joe Mohale said:
“Ramaphosa, please leave the almighty Trumpet and let us start thinking about how to make SA the best country again. Please forget about Mlungu.”
Sharon Bri stated:
“You said we don't need America and its dollars. Flip flopper.”
Steve Slater added:
“I thought that Ramaphosa and all his stooges didn't need the Western countries, and yet here he is wanting to do a deal with America, how ironic.”
Mosiuwa John vented:
“You said we cannot be bullied. Please leave America alone and fix the corruption that led us to the situation.”
MeryamMatawanda Seshoka exclaimed:
“Yoh, not this madala crawling to Trump again🤦. This man is very weak.”
Hazel Claassen stated:
“Stop begging "king" Trumpet. You are not a praying man Mr President if you think this man can solve our problems. Just let him be.”
Trump's soured relationship with SA explained
Briefly News noted that Trump has adopted an apparent adversarial stance towards the South African government.
The 47th US President first announced aid cuts to SA and then extended refugee status to Afrikaners.
We take a look at the history of relations between the SA government and Trump and where it went wrong.
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Source: Briefly News
