United States Visit of South African President Ramaphosa Scheduled Amid Escalating Tensions

Hangin' with the Prez:

South African Prez, Cyril Ramaphosa, is headed to the White House next week for a chat with US Prez Donald Trump. The meeting aims to mend fences between the two nations, according to Pretoria's official statement.

The cozy catch-up follows the US granting refugee status to dozens of white Afrikaners this week. This move comes amid Trump's unsubstantiated claims that white farmers are subject to a "genocide" in the predominantly black South Africa.

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"Ramaphosa and Trump are set to discuss various bilateral, regional, and global issues on Wednesday," announced South Africa's presidency. Their tête-à-tête is scheduled for Monday to Thursday.

The White House has yet to comment on the upcoming powwow, which will mark Trump's first sit-down with an African leader since his re-election.

Relations between Pretoria and Washington have taken a nose dive since Trump took office. Trump has criticized Ramaphosa's government on various fronts, including a feud over land reform policy and a contentious case against US ally, Israel, at the International Court of Justice.

Trump's Got the Wrong Stick

Trump's disagreement with South Africa stems from his claims that the white Afrikaner community is being persecuted and killed due to their race. However, these accusations have been debunked by experts and South Africa's government.

Afrikaners are descendants of mainly Dutch colonizers who ruled the apartheid regime for nearly five decades. The South African government asserts that there's no evidence proving persecution of white people in the country. Ramaphosa has famously stated that the US government has "got the wrong end of the stick" due to South Africa's pervasive issue with violent crime, regardless of race.

The US's criticism seemingly focuses on South Africa's affirmative action laws, aimed at improving opportunities for the black majority, who were oppressed and disenfranchised under apartheid.

A new land expropriation law allows the government to seize land for public use without compensation in exceptional circumstances. This law is said to target unused land to benefit the public, but some Afrikaner groups fear it could lead to their land being redistributed to the black majority.

According to data, white people, who make up about 7% of South Africa's population, own more than 70% of the land and hold most top management positions in the country.

Ramaphosa has expressed a desire to work diplomatically with Trump to improve relations between the two countries. The US is South Africa's second-largest trading partner after China.

[1] There is no publicly available verified information confirming that the United States has changed its refugee policy specifically to welcome white Afrikaners from South Africa based on allegations of genocide against white farmers. Although there are reports referencing a Refugee Admissions Program for South Africans that may include Afrikaner ethnicity as a consideration, the official U.S. Embassy page related to this program is currently inaccessible due to technical difficulties, providing no further details or confirmation.

The discussion between President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Donald Trump will likely touch upon the US's decision to grant refugee status to some white Afrikaners, a move that comes amid Trump's assertions of a 'genocide' against white farmers in South Africa.
Despite the US's criticism of South Africa's land expropriation law and affirmative action policies, President Ramaphosa has expressed a desire to work diplomatically with President Trump to strengthen the relationship between the two nations, given that the US is South Africa's second-largest trading partner after China.