Ramaphosa heads to US for trade talks amid tensions over land reform, refugee claims

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to arrive in the United States later today for a working visit focused on trade and bilateral relations.

According to SA News, Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. The two leaders are expected to discuss trade, investment, and other bilateral issues.

The visit comes against a backdrop of recent controversy, including claims by at least 49 Afrikaner South Africans who left the country for the US citing alleged “genocide” in South Africa.

Speaking on Saturday at the reburial of anti-apartheid icon, Advocate Duma Nokwe, Ramaphosa dismissed the genocide claims.

“There’s no genocide in South Africa. That is a fact that’s borne out of a lot of evidence,” he said.

Addressing the upcoming meeting with Trump, Ramaphosa said the engagement would focus squarely on trade and strengthening diplomatic ties.

“I’m not worried about anything. We’re going there to discuss trade and our bilateral relations. It’s country to country—we trade with each other, so we must relate to each other,” he said.

He added: “Just as he [Trump] meets with other people and I also meet with other people, it’s state to state. We’re representing our peoples. We are going to have good discussions on trade.”

The South African government has pledged to maintain dialogue with the US, particularly after Trump’s administration halted future funding to South Africa earlier this year, citing concerns over land expropriation without compensation following the signing of the Expropriation Act.

Despite the expulsion of South Africa’s then-ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, and the imposition of a 30 percent tariff on South African exports—later paused for 90 days—Pretoria has insisted on continued engagement.

“The Government of South Africa remains dedicated to constructive dialogue with the United States of America, anchored in mutual respect for sovereignty, the rule of law, and a shared commitment to deepening a mutually beneficial bilateral partnership,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement last week.

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