South African President Cyril Ramaphosa heads to the United States on Wednesday to persuade President Donald Trump to make trade deals with his country.
Trump had his second term as U.S. President attacked South Africa’s land reform law aimed at redressing the injustices of apartheid and its genocide court case against Israel, which led to Trump cancelling aid to South Africa, expelling its ambassador and offering refuge to white minority Afrikaners based on racial discrimination claims Pretoria says are unfounded.
“The visit will focus specifically on reframing bilateral, economic and commercial relations,” Ramaphosa’s office said ahead of his meeting with Trump.
The stakes are high for South Africa.
The United States is its second-biggest trading partner after China, and the aid cut has already resulted in a drop in testing for HIV patients, with pregnant women, youth and infants the worst-affected.
“Whether we like it or not, we are joined at the hip and we need to be talking to them,” Ramaphosa said on South African state television before flying to Washington.
He will offer Trump a broad trade deal, said a spokesperson for the trade ministry, declining to give details.
He also plans to discuss business opportunities for Tesla and Starlink, companies owned by Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk, who was born and raised in South Africa and has accused Ramaphosa of pursuing anti-white policies, which he rejects.
Trump is likely to tell Ramaphosa that all U.S. companies should be exempt from “racial requirements,” according to a White House official.
Under South African law, businesses over a certain size must have a 30% equity stake held by disadvantaged groups, which includes black South Africans. Alternatively, the businesses can spend an equivalent amount on training or other initiatives.
Any change to the laws may prove an uphill battle for Ramaphosa, as they are largely seen as aligned with the principles of restoring racial justice his party fought for.
Discussions could include favourable tariffs for Tesla’s imports into South Africa in return for building electric vehicle charging stations, and licensing for Starlink, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson said.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, who is travelling with Ramaphosa, said he would work to secure South African farmers’ duty-free access to the U.S. market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which is at risk from Trump’s tariff regime.
