Ramaphosa and Trump to Meet Amid Cooling Tensions Between South Africa and the US

(The Post News)- President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to meet face-to-face with United States President Donald Trump in an effort to patch up frayed diplomatic ties. The two leaders, who recently spoke over the phone, have agreed in principle to meet within the next three months, potentially on the sidelines of an upcoming US-Africa summit.

While no firm date or location has been confirmed, Ramaphosa said the meeting would focus on improving relations and tackling a handful of sensitive issues. “President Trump and I also agreed to meet soon to address this and various matters regarding relations between South Africa and the United States,” Ramaphosa said in a post on X. “We both spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries.”

The announcement follows months of rising tension. Washington recently slashed financial aid to Pretoria, after South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice over its conduct in Gaza and moved closer to Iran, a country Trump has repeatedly accused of backing global terrorism. Relations took a further hit when former South African ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after labelling Trump and billionaire Elon Musk as symbols of “a global white supremacist movement” during a webinar. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Rasool’s dismissal shortly afterwards, prompting backlash from local officials and diplomats.

According to Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, both sides are committed to repairing the damage. “Both President Ramaphosa and President Trump have agreed on the need to meet soon and to work on resetting the bilateral relationship. At a personal level, both presidents interact in a cordial and friendly manner,” he told the Sunday Times.

The call between the two presidents reportedly took place just ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s state visit to South Africa, which was cut short due to a Russian missile strike on Kyiv. Ramaphosa also confirmed that discussions with Trump will touch on the ongoing war in Ukraine. “We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths,” he posted online.

Former ambassador to Portugal, Dr Kingsley Makhubela, described the planned meeting as a chance to “restart the strained bilateral relationship”. Government insiders say teams on both sides are now working to iron out the logistics. If the summit meeting goes ahead, it will mark the first time Ramaphosa and Trump have met in person since Trump’s presidency.