International relations expert says Ramaphosa should not antagonise Trump

The Presidency is optimistic that President Cyril Ramaphosa will be able to resolve the impasse between South Africa and the US during his upcoming talks with President Donald Trump.

Also, the country’s highest office has strong hopes that Trump will attend the G20 Summit of Heads of State in November and participate in the rest of the G20 activities underway in the country. Hopes of the US president’s attendance were dashed when he reiterated his statement that he would not come.

Trump’s threats to boycott G20 summit

In April and as recently as Monday, Trump threatened to boycott the international gathering because of unfounded claims of genocide of Afrikaner farmers and the confiscation of their land, including alleged land expropriation. These were all denied by the South African government and many Afrikaners who questioned the basis of the claims, saying farm attacks are a crime that affects both white and black farmers.

During a media conference on Monday at the White House, Trump once more threatened to boycott the summit, telling journalists, “I don’t know how we can go unless the situation is taken care of”.

Trump continued to call the situation “genocide” and accused the media of not wanting to write about the “terrible thing” taking place where farmers are being killed. “They happen to be white, but whether they are white or black, it makes no difference to me. White farmers are being brutally killed and their land is being confiscated in South Africa,” Trump said.

ALSO READ: Genuine genocide or a farce? What farmers at Nampo think of Trump’s refugee offer

But analysts across the board had denied the claims of genocide since Trump first made them in April. Some Afrikaners distanced themselves from the right-leaning groups who spread the news of genocide and land grabs, saying the misinformation portrayed Afrikaners in a bad light. It makes them seem like people who refused to embrace South Africa’s democratic change.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to visit the US on 19 and 20 May. During this time, he will hold discussions with Trump at the White House in an attempt to resolve the differences between the two countries. Ramaphosa indicated he would discuss the Afrikaner matter, and he denied the genocide allegations.

SA ‘must agree to some US demands’

International relations expert, Dr Jan Venter from North West University, said South Africa should engage the US in friendly terms rather than display antagonism, as it doesn’t have the muscle to stand up to Trump.

“The best way would be to engage with America, find out what it is that they want and what we can do for them.

“We must give them an idea that we are going to agree to some of their demands,” Venter said.

ALSO READ: Will Trump embarrass SA at White House meeting?

The Presidency has voiced optimism about the Ramaphosa-Trump discussions and is confident the US will participate in the G20.

Addressing students in a public lecture she delivered at the Soshanguve campus of the Tshwane University of Technology on Friday morning, Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, indicated the visit would bear fruit.

Ramaphosa to ‘address misinformation’ with Trump

She said Ramaphosa will not only address the misinformation about the country, but the visit will ensure the US’s participation in the current G20 and “ensure there is a smooth handover of the South African [G20] presidency to the US.

“More than anything, we are very confident in President Ramaphosa’s ability and the envoy he has sent to the US, to ensure the current impasse that is there, that is really informed by misinformation… will be resolved,” Mhlauli said.

In the lecture, Mhlauli said that in terms of the G20, Africa is working in tandem to create not only a better Africa but also a better world.

The G20 comprises 19 countries and two regional governmental organisations – the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) – with South Africa as the only African country represented. It focuses, among other things, on global trade and governance matters. The body forms 85% of the world’s GDP, 70% of the global trade and encompasses two-thirds of the world’s population.

Mhlauli said the South African Presidency is focusing on inclusive growth, industrialisation, and employment and showcasing that “South Africa is open for business”. She said Africa’s G20 priorities included the reform of the international financial architecture, food security, just energy transition and climate change.

The leaders’ summit, at which Ramaphosa is expected to hand over the G20 presidency to Trump, will take place in November at the Nasrec Expo Centre.

NOW READ: Trump lashes out at SA again as AfriForum thanks US president