Africa Awaits Ramaphosa’s Crucial Meeting With Trump In Washington Tomorrow

Key Facts

• President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, May 21.
• The meeting coincides with the postponement of South Africa’s national budget announcement.
• Last week, the U.S. granted refugee status to 59 White South Africans, amid ongoing debates over allegations of violence against White farmers.
• Trump has indicated that the U.S. may reconsider its participation in the G20 summit citing “land confiscation and genocide”. The G20 is being chaired by South Africa in November this year.
• A rare display of political unity has emerged from the ongoing issue. John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance in South Africa, is accompanying African National Congress leader Ramaphosa on the visit, signaling a potential thaw in inter-party tensions within South Africa’s shaky Government of National Unity coalition government.
• The South African presidency stated the meeting would focus on “bilateral, regional and global issues of interest”.
• Trump’s tariffs and a freeze on critical funding, such as USAID, have rattled sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies. The region now looks to Ramaphosa to help stabilize strained U.S.–Africa relations and provide clarity.
• With the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) set to expire on September 30, renewing the trade agreement will be a central part of the discussion.

Crucial Quotes

“President Ramaphosa will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of interest,” said the office of South Africa’s presidency in a statement last Wednesday.

Dr Lumkile Mondi, economist and senior lecturer at the School of Economics and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, tells FORBES AFRICA: “South Africa’s diplomatic challenges with the U.S. relate to the Trump administration’s undemocratic approach and lack of appreciation and misinterpretation of South Africa, who is fighting for a much better world.”

Unlikely Development

For Ramaphosa, a silver lining has emerged from the U.S.–South Africa impasse: unity within the newly-formed coalition government, which has faced challenges since its formation in June last year.

Africa Waits Nervously

Sensitive negotiations are familiar terrain to Ramaphosa, who was one of the lead negotiators in ending Apartheid in 1994.

The meeting could have major implications for AGOA, a duty-free trade policy covering 35 SSA nations, who now depend on Ramaphosa to re-establish ties with the U.S.

While addressing controversial allegations surrounding farm violence may open the conversation, the focus is expected to be on the renewal of AGOA and greater clarity around U.S. tariffs and trade policy.

Analysts say the great unknown is how the dialogue will unfold: a measured diplomatic exchange or will it echo the confrontational tone seen in recent engagements between President Trump and other global leaders, such as Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.