Trump-Ramaphosa assembly: US president confronts South African chief with declare of Afrikaners ‘persecuted’

US President Donald Trump appeared to ambush his South African counterpart on the White House on Wednesday, confronting him with a video that Trump mentioned supported his declare that white farmers have been being “persecuted” within the nation.

The footage, proven throughout a information convention with Cyril Ramaphosa, purported to point out the gravesites of murdered farmers. Trump didn’t say the place it was filmed, and the footage has not been verified by the BBC.

Ramaphosa – who appeared to weigh up rigorously how one can reply – disputed Trump’s allegation. He mentioned black individuals have been much more prone to be victims of violence in South Africa than white individuals.

Trump additionally mentioned that he would search an “clarification” from his visitor on extensively discredited claims of a white “genocide” in South Africa.

Ramaphosa got here to the White House on Wednesday for commerce talks to reset US-South African relations.

He had hoped to appeal Trump with the inclusion of two of South Africa’s best-known golfers within the delegation. Ramaphosa additionally got here geared up with a present of an enormous e book that includes his nation’s golf programs.

But after a cordial begin, the temper within the Oval Office shifted as Trump requested for the lighting to be lowered so a video might be performed.

The movie featured the voice of main South African opposition determine Julius Malema singing the track: “Shoot the Boer [Afrikaner], Shoot the farmer”.

It additionally confirmed a area of crosses, which the US president, speaking over the photographs, mentioned was a burial website of white farmers.

He then handed Ramaphosa what gave the impression to be print-outs of tales of white individuals being attacked in South Africa.

“What you noticed – the speeches that have been made… that’s not authorities coverage,” Ramaphosa responded.

“We have a multiparty democracy in South Africa that enables individuals to specific themselves.

“Our authorities coverage is totally towards what he [Malema] was saying even within the parliament and they’re a small minority get together, which is allowed to exist in keeping with our structure.”

Ramaphosa mentioned he hoped that Trump would take heed to the voices of South Africans on this concern.

The South African chief identified the white members of his delegation, together with golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and South Africa’s richest man Johann Rupert.

“If there was a genocide, these three gents wouldn’t be right here,” Ramaphosa mentioned.

Trump interrupted: “But you do permit them to take land, after which after they take the land, they kill the white farmer, and after they kill the white farmer nothing occurs to them.”

“No,” Ramaphosa responded.

Trump gave the impression to be referring to a controversial regulation signed by Ramaphosa earlier this yr, which permits the federal government to grab privately-owned land with out compensation in some circumstances. The South African authorities says no land has but been seized below the act.

Speaking to Trump on Wednesday, Ramaphosa did acknowledge that there was “criminality in our nation… individuals who do get killed by legal exercise will not be solely white individuals, nearly all of them are black individuals”.

As Trump pressed the difficulty, Ramaphosa stayed calm – and tried to work his appeal by making a joke about providing a airplane to the US.

He invoked the identify of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, saying South Africa remained dedicated to racial reconciliation.

When a journalist requested what would occur if white farmers left South Africa, Ramaphosa deflected the query to his white agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, who mentioned that the majority farmers needed to remain.

But Trump saved firing salvoes at Ramaphosa, who averted getting into right into a shouting match with him – one thing that occurred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he met Trump in the identical room in February.

Earlier this month, a gaggle of 59 white South Africans arrived within the US, the place they have been granted refugee standing. Ramaphosa mentioned on the time they have been “cowards”.

Before Wednesday’s White House assembly, South Africa’s chief had burdened that bettering commerce relations with the US was his precedence.

South African exports into the US face a 30% tariff as soon as a pause on Trump’s new import taxes ends in July.

Tensions between South Africa and the US ramped up days after Trump took workplace for his second time period in January.

It was at that time that Ramaphosa signed into regulation the controversial invoice that enables South Africa’s authorities to expropriate privately-owned land in circumstances when it’s deemed “equitable and within the public curiosity”.

The transfer solely served to tarnish the picture of Africa’s greatest economic system within the eyes of the Trump administration – already angered by its genocide case towards Israel on the International Court of Justice.

In February, the US president introduced the suspension of vital assist to South Africa and provided to permit members of the Afrikaner neighborhood – who’re principally white descendants of early Dutch and French settlers – to settle within the US as refugees.

South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, was additionally expelled in March after accusing Trump of “mobilising a supremacism” and attempting to “venture white victimhood as a canine whistle”.

Additional reporting by Khanyisile Ngcobo and Farouk Chothia