Under attack by Trump, South Africa's Ramaphosa responds with trade deal offer

21/5/2025 17:48

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa heads to the White House on Wednesday on a delicate mission to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to make deals with his country rather than scold and punish it as he has done since the start of his second term.



Attacking South Africa's land reform law aimed at redressing the injustices of apartheid and its genocide court case against Israel, Trump has cancelled aid to the country, expelled its ambassador and offered refuge to white minority Afrikaners based on racial discrimination claims Pretoria says are unfounded.

"Whether we like it or not, we are joined at the hip and we need to be talking to them," Ramaphosa said on South African state television before flying to Washington to meet Trump. The stakes are high for South Africa. The United States is its second-biggest trading partner after China, and the aid cut has already resulted in a drop in testing for HIV patients.



Ramaphosa will offer Trump a broad trade deal, said a spokesperson for the trade ministry, declining to give details.



For his part, Trump is likely to demand that U.S. companies are exempted from "racial requirements", a White House official said.