South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday during a working visit aimed at easing months of rising tensions between the two countries. Ramaphosa departed Johannesburg on Sunday night and was expected to arrive in the United States on Monday morning. The visit follows a series of diplomatic rifts that began earlier this year when Trump accused South Africa of implementing racially discriminatory land expropriation policies. The U.S. president also alleged, without providing evidence, that a genocide against White Afrikaners was underway. These claims led to a cut in U.S. aid to South Africa and further strained bilateral ties.
Land ownership in South Africa remains deeply unequal, with White South Africans controlling over 70% of private agricultural land despite constituting just 7% of the population, according to the latest government audit. Pretoria has rejected Trump’s allegations, calling them baseless and inflammatory. The two leaders are expected to discuss trade and tariff issues, global conflict hotspots including Ukraine and Gaza, and tensions surrounding South Africa’s role as the current G20 chair—a role the U.S. has largely boycotted under Trump’s leadership.
Another contentious issue on the agenda is South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which Pretoria filed earlier this year in response to Israeli military actions in Gaza. South Africa has historically been a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights and a critic of Israeli policies, a stance that has fueled further discord with Washington.
The Ramaphosa-Trump meeting comes at a critical time for South Africa-U.S. relations, which have seen cooperation in areas such as health, trade, and development increasingly overshadowed by geopolitical and ideological clashes
