The Voice News:South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had hoped to use his May 21 visit to Washington to strengthen bilateral relations and ease diplomatic tensions. But the meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump quickly turned combative, overshadowed by Trump’s insistence on a false narrative of “white genocide” in South Africa.
After a brief, polite introduction, Trump launched into controversial claims, dimming the Oval Office lights and showing videos he claimed were proof of targeted attacks on white farmers. One clip featured opposition politician Julius Malema singing “Kill the Boer,” an anti-apartheid chant that has drawn criticism. Ramaphosa attempted to clarify that Malema, expelled from the ruling African National Congress and now the leader of a marginal opposition party, does not represent government policy.
“They are a small minority party,” Ramaphosa said, emphasizing that the song, while controversial, was protected under South Africa’s constitutional right to free speech. Trump dismissed the explanation and questioned why Malema hadn’t been arrested.
Ramaphosa, along with Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and billionaire Johann Rupert—both white South Africans—tried to correct the record. They noted that while South Africa struggles with high crime, Black South Africans are disproportionately affected. In the final quarter of 2024, only 12 murders were linked to farming communities, involving both white and Black victims, most attributed to opportunistic crimes in rural areas.
Trump, however, continued to present outdated and misleading social media footage, including a clip of white crosses, which local media identified as a longstanding memorial—not evidence of targeted killings.
“I’d like to know where this place is,” Ramaphosa said, calmly questioning the video’s origin.
Despite his delegation’s composed response and Ramaphosa’s efforts to highlight cooperation, Trump persisted with inflammatory rhetoric. He waved printed articles before reporters, repeating the word “death” dramatically and asserting that white farmers were being slaughtered.
Diplomatic Fallout and Underlying Tensions
The Oval Office clash was the latest episode in a strained U.S.–South Africa relationship under Trump’s presidency. In recent months, Trump has:
Cut aid to South Africa.
Expelled the South African ambassador.
Skipped G20 meetings hosted by the country.
Expressed outrage over South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Adding to the tensions, the Trump administration recently granted refugee status to 59 white Afrikaners, citing persecution—a claim not supported by legal or crime statistics.
During the meeting, Trump again accused the South African government of seizing white-owned land, referencing a law that allows land expropriation without compensation in rare cases. However, no farms have been confiscated under this policy, and white South Africans, who make up only 7% of the population, still control over 70% of commercial farmland.
Elon Musk and Trade Talks
South African-born tech billionaire Elon Musk, now a Trump adviser, was also in the room but said little. Musk has publicly criticized South Africa’s affirmative action laws, which he claims hinder Starlink’s entry into the local market. There were rumors that Ramaphosa might offer Musk concessions to smooth trade negotiations.
Ramaphosa had hoped the visit could help preserve South Africa’s preferential trade status with the U.S., which is under review. He even brought famed South African golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen to the meeting to appeal to Trump’s love of golf, gifting the president a book on the sport.
But despite the charm offensive and carefully chosen delegation, the meeting spiraled. Ramaphosa stayed measured throughout. At one point, he said, “If there were genocide against Afrikaner farmers, I can assure you, my agriculture minister and these gentlemen would not be here today.”
The meeting left many South Africans disheartened. As one diplomat put it, “This was our worst-case scenario—and it happened.”