Johannesburg (AFP) – Securing South Africa’s trade ties with the United States will be a key aim of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who Monday began a Washington visit that will feature a meeting with Donald Trump, Ramaphosa’s office said. Ramaphosa arrived late Monday accompanied by four cabinet ministers on the high-stakes visit. He is expected to meet Trump at the White House on Wednesday.
“The purpose of the visit is to reset and revitalise bilateral relations between South Africa and the United States (US),” read a statement issued by the Pretoria presidency. “In this regard, the visit will focus specifically on reframing bilateral, economic and commercial relations,” the statement added. Ties between Pretoria and Washington have plummeted since Trump — whose administration notably features South Africa-born Elon Musk at the head of the “Department of Government Efficiency” — took office in January. Ramaphosa’s visit is seen as an attempt to reset the relationship.
A priority is securing trade relations in order to “protect jobs, grow the economy and expand employment opportunities,” Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said before Ramaphosa arrived. Ramaphosa was accompanied by his ministers for international relations, trade, and agriculture, as well as his special envoy to the United States, Mcebisi Jonas. The United States is South Africa’s second-largest trading partner, behind China.
Trump’s sweeping trade tariffs announced in April — subsequently paused for 90 days — included a levy of 31 percent on South African imports, which some industries say could result in massive layoffs. Steenhuisen said of particular concern was the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides duty-free access to the US market for some African products. There are fears that the Trump administration will end the agreement, which is up for renewal in September.
“Preferential trade agreements such as AGOA contribute significantly to our economy,” Steenhuisen said in a statement. “Losing these benefits would be disastrous for farmers, farm workers, and the economy at large,” he added. With South African unemployment at around 32 percent, economic growth and job creation are also priorities for Ramaphosa’s government.
The president will also attempt to affirm that conspiracies of a “white genocide” are “patently false,” his spokesman Vincent Magwenya said. Trump’s administration welcomed around 50 people from the Afrikaner community last week after claiming the white minority was under threat in the black-majority country. Steenhuisen is a leader of the pro-business Democratic Alliance (DA) party that joined Ramaphosa’s government of national unity, formed after last year’s elections.
Ramaphosa is also expected to encourage Trump to attend the G20 summit of leading economies that South Africa hosts in Johannesburg in November and which the US president has threatened to skip.
© 2024 AFP
