South Africans have expressed mixed reactions to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, praising Ramaphosa for his composure in the face of Trump’s false claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa, but questioning the purpose of the visit.
Ramaphosa had hoped to reset relations with the United States, which have deteriorated since Trump took office. However, Trump primarily focused on unsubstantiated claims that white minority farmers in South Africa are being systematically murdered and having their land seized, despite South Africa having one of the highest murder rates in the world, with the majority of victims being Black.
Rebecca Davis of the Daily Maverick, a white South African herself, wrote that Ramaphosa “didn’t get Zelenskyed,” referring to a previous meeting where Trump and Vice President JD Vance reportedly berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Davis noted that Ramaphosa had been advised to remain calm and not rise to the bait, which he did.
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However, Ramaphosa’s composure led some to question the value of the meeting. Sobelo Motha, a member of a shopkeepers’ union, stated, “I don’t think it was the right call. I don’t think we need to explain ourselves to USA…we know there’s no white genocide. So for me, it was pointless exercise.”
Ramaphosa arrived prepared for an aggressive reception, bringing white South African golfers in his delegation and hoping to discuss trade. However, Trump quickly shifted the focus to concerns about the treatment of white South Africans, presenting a video and articles that he claimed supported his allegations.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri defended Ramaphosa’s handling of the encounter, stating that “Most importantly, the two presidents engaged” and that “(He) looks at issues calmly, matter-of-factly.”
Many South Africans were puzzled that Trump would believe easily disproved claims about ethnic cleansing circulating on far-right social media. South African police recorded 26,232 murders nationwide in 2024, with only 44 linked to farming communities and eight of the victims being farmers.
Kudakwashi Mgwariri, a student at the University of the Witwatersrand, suggested that “Trump is naive and he’s dealing with America’s issues. So I don’t think he has time to actually verify the facts.”
