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In what South African officials feared might happen, President Cyril Ramaphosa walked into a political firestorm during his Oval Office meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
What began as a diplomatic effort to reset strained relations quickly deteriorated into a combative exchange marked by misinformation and cultural misunderstanding.
Ramaphosa, who played a central role in South Africa’s post-apartheid negotiations and now leads Africa’s most industrialized economy, sought to reassure Trump of South Africa’s commitment to democracy and economic cooperation. However, the meeting quickly turned sour when Trump reignited a debunked conspiracy theory of “white genocide” in South Africa.
Trump dimmed the Oval Office lights and presented a series of videos — including controversial clips of populist opposition leader Julius Malema singing an apartheid-era liberation song, “Kill the Boer.” Ramaphosa clarified that the song, while historic and inflammatory, does not represent government policy. “Malema is from a minority opposition party. His Economic Freedom Fighters received only 7% of the vote,” Ramaphosa noted.
Trump then questioned why Malema hadn’t been arrested. Ramaphosa responded that South Africa’s constitution protects freedom of speech and emphasized that Malema had faced court scrutiny. “Asked by reporters if he condemned the song, Ramaphosa said he did,” a South African official confirmed.
The situation escalated further when Trump played a widely circulated — and widely discredited — video showing white crosses, which he claimed represented murdered white farmers. Ramaphosa challenged the video’s authenticity: “Have they told you where this is? I’d like to know,” he said.
South African Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and billionaire businessman Johann Rupert — both white — also attempted to correct the narrative, explaining that while South Africa experiences high crime rates, the vast majority of victims are Black citizens. Official police data shows 12 murders linked to farming communities in the last quarter of 2024 — including both farmers and farm workers — mostly attributed to opportunistic crime due to the isolated nature of farms.
Despite efforts to stay on track, the Trump administration reiterated grievances, including South Africa’s land reform policies — none of which have resulted in farm seizures — and Pretoria’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Trump also reminded attendees of his aid cuts and diplomatic snubs, underlining the tense state of bilateral relations.
Adding to the complexity was the presence of Elon Musk — the South African-born tech mogul who advises Trump and has criticized South Africa’s affirmative action laws. Although largely silent during the meeting, Musk has publicly stated that these policies have kept his Starlink satellite service out of the South African market. Rumors circulated earlier in the week that Ramaphosa may have been considering a business incentive to win Musk’s favor.
Ramaphosa, ever the diplomat, tried to lighten the mood by joking with Trump over his lack of a private plane to offer. “I’m sorry I don’t have a plane to give you,” he quipped. Trump replied, “I wish you did,” prompting laughter.
Though the meeting veered off course, South African analysts praised Ramaphosa’s composure. “He held his own under extraordinary pressure,” one commentator noted. “Unlike President Zelenskyy’s bruising encounter earlier this year, Ramaphosa remained calm, factual, and dignified.”
Still, the diplomatic fallout is expected to last for weeks, with media across South Africa preparing extensive analysis on the Oval Office showdown that laid bare the fraught state of U.S.–South Africa relations.
