Africa (Commonwealth Union) _ U.S. President Donald Trump met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday, following months of escalating diplomatic tensions over land reform, refugee policy, and allegations of racial discrimination in South Africa.
The meeting, held on May 21, came amid strained relations between the two nations, exacerbated by allegations of “white genocide” in South Africa allegations strongly denied by Ramaphosa and South African officials.
“We want to come out of the United States with a really good trade deal and consolidate good relations between our two countries,” Ramaphosa said in a video statement ahead of the visit, adding that he would also raise global issues like the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Trump, now in his second term, has renewed criticism of Ramaphosa’s leadership, particularly in response to South Africa’s Expropriation Act of 2024, which permits land seizures without compensation. “Farmers are being killed,” Trump said in a recent press briefing. “Their land is being taken. This is genocide.”
South Africa dismissed the allegations as “inflammatory and factually incorrect,” citing a February court ruling that labeled claims of white genocide as “clearly imagined.” The government emphasized its land reform efforts aimed to address deep racial inequalities rooted in apartheid and colonial history.
Tensions further escalated in February when the U.S. expelled South Africa’s Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool. Trump later suspended all foreign aid to South Africa, citing the land policy and South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Trump’s executive order accused the Ramaphosa administration of “fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.”
The situation has been further inflamed by the involvement of Elon Musk South Africa-born and now leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) who accused South Africa of “openly racist ownership laws.” Musk’s AI platform, Grok, faced scrutiny after it started posting about “white genocide,” although Musk’s company claimed that a rogue employee was responsible for the posts.
In a rare move, the Trump administration granted asylum to over 50 Afrikaners on May 12, the first official refugee group admitted since Trump returned to office.
Despite the acrimony, Ramaphosa said he remains committed to dialogue: “There is no genocide here. We are proud of our diversity and committed to reconciliation.”
