President Cyril Ramaphosa will travel to Washington next week for a high-stakes meeting with US President Donald Trump, as diplomatic tensions between the two nations continue to mount.
In a statement released late Wednesday, the Presidency confirmed that Ramaphosa will hold talks with Trump at the White House on Wednesday, 21 May 2025. The meeting is expected to focus on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues.
The visit comes at a time of increasing friction between Pretoria and Washington, triggered most recently by the US decision to resettle a group of white Afrikaners whom Trump claims are facing “persecution” in South Africa — a claim the South African government has strongly rejected.
Ramaphosa’s office said the trip presents “a platform to reset the strategic relationship between the two countries.”
Relations have been further strained by US criticism of South Africa’s foreign policy stances, including its legal challenge against Israel at the International Court of Justice and controversial land reform legislation aimed at addressing historical injustices. Washington has claimed the land expropriation bill could enable the seizure of white-owned property without compensation.
Although Trump has largely halted refugee admissions, he made an exception for the Afrikaners — descendants of Dutch settlers — despite South Africa’s insistence that they are not under threat. White South Africans, who make up just over 7% of the population, generally enjoy a higher standard of living than the country’s black majority.
In March, the US expelled South Africa’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, following his public criticism of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement — a move that further soured diplomatic ties. Pretoria has dismissed Trump's claims as "politically motivated" and accused Washington of attempting to undermine South Africa's constitutional democracy.
Following the arrival of the first 49 Afrikaners in the US earlier this week, Deputy President Paul Mashatile said Trump had been "misled."
“There’s no genocide here. We are a beautiful, happy people — black and white — working and living together,” he said, adding that Ramaphosa would extend an invitation for Trump to visit South Africa.
In addition to diplomatic discussions, trade is expected to be high on the agenda. The US is South Africa’s second-largest trading partner, but Trump’s recent announcement of sweeping tariffs — temporarily paused for 90 days — has raised alarms for key export sectors including automotive manufacturing and citrus production.
Ramaphosa’s working visit is scheduled to last from Monday to Thursday.