What those on the plane to Washington said prior to Trump-Ramaphosa showdown

South Africa’s delegation to the United States is in transit en route to its most high-profile diplomatic engagement in recent memory.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is leading a team of four ministers this week for bilateral discussions with the Trump administration.

The president is set to meet his US counterpart on Wednesday in Washington, and the nation is eager to see how the heads of state’s contrasting personalities mesh.

Question of national pride

The delegation consists of Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau, and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.

The team will be tasked with protecting South Africa’s interests on multiple fronts in the face of a US Presidency that has been on the offensive since taking office.

The public wants a strong performance by Ramaphosa and the ministers, and the outcome of the engagement will have implications for national pride.

Aid, tariffs, expropriation, the expulsion of an ambassador and an argument over what constitutes a refugee are all flashpoints that may raise the temperature in the Oval Office this week.

Here is who makes up the delegation and what they have said about SA–USA relations in 2025.

‘Sovereign and democratic’

Department of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola is the youngest of the group at 41 years old.

The former ANC Youth League deputy president was junior only to then-leader Julius Malema and has backed the constitutionality of the Expropriation Act.

In February, Lamola requested that President Trump’s advisors rethink their position on the Expropriation Act.

“This approach will promote a well-informed viewpoint that values and recognises our nation’s dedication to democratic ideals and governance,” stated Lamola.

Refugee status for Afrikaners

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni was spirited in her refusal to acknowledge the refugee status recently granted to a group of departing South Africans.

“The decision by the United States to confer refugee status to a group of Afrikaner South Africans is misinformed, as they do not fit the definition of refugees as set out in the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol,” Ntshavheni stated.

Nshavheni confirmed last week that civil interest groups portraying South Africa in a negative light would be investigated for treason.

However, Ntshavheni said she is not expecting a hostile reception at the White House, as it was the US that initiated the talks.

“There is no one who invites a guest to mistreat them, so we are expecting the highest level of decorum and necessary protocol,” the minister said.

An experienced head

In Parks Tau, the delegation has an experienced head who has successfully conducted business in Washington before, albeit under less tense circumstances.

Tau led South Africa’s delegations to the 21^st African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) summit last year, and is well-versed in the legislature.

In the wake of the US president’s implementation of reciprocal tariffs, Tau said it was important to view the tariffs and their effect on Agoa through the prism of shifting global trends.  

“As a country, we have had to begin to think about how we diversify our own trade and supply chains, so it is work we have actively been doing to ensure that we adapt to the new realities.”

The odd man out

DA leader John Steenhuisen will be the only member from an opposition party or government of national (GNU) unity partner on the trip.

Steenhuisen stated on Monday that his priority would be to secure trade relations with the US, repeating his party’s mantra of jobs and economic growth.

Steenhuisen said the delegation would prioritise the interests of South Africans over party or ideological positions.  

“As a proud member of this GNU delegation, I will endeavour to ensure every effort is made to mend and improve relations between the US and SA,” stated Steenhuisen.

The president  

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s stately demeanour could be tested by Trump as the South African juggles the need to appear firm in the face of aggression.

Ramaphosa said that he was not worried, downplaying the meeting as a conventional engagement.

“Just as he meets with other people and I also meet with other people, it’s state to state; we’re representing our peoples,” Ramaphosa said on Saturday.

He was adamant in challenging the US leadership’s assertion that life in South Africa was not how it was being promoted.

“The false narratives about a genocide are not a reflection of who we are as a nation. During our working visit to the US, we will be advancing a proudly South African message,” he said recently.

NOW READ: Ramaphosa meets Trump: Will Steenhuisen speak out on race-based laws?