Ramaphosa determined to develop positive working relations with US, wants Trump to visit SA
President Cyril Ramaphosa says he’s determined to develop positive working relations with the United States despite the misinformation campaigns about land reform and its foreign policy.
President Cyril Ramaphosa at an event hosted by Goldman Sachs in Johannesburg on 27 February 2025. Picture: @PresidencyZA/X
CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa says he’s determined to develop positive working relations with the United States despite the misinformation campaigns about land reform and its foreign policy.
In conversation with leading global investment company Goldman Sachs on Thursday morning, Ramaphosa said he wants President Donald Trump to visit South Africa even though two of Trump's cabinet already boycotted meetings of the G20 in February.
Ramaphosa's remarks come as trade union Solidarity warned of consequences for government over its foreign policy following a visit to Washington by the union’s leaders this week.
ALSO READ:
• Ramaphosa: 'We are committed to having a good relationship with the US'
• Chikane: US more concerned with SA stance on ‘Palestinian genocide’ than land reform policies
• Ramaphosa calls for unity, discourages approaching foreign govts to air grievances
• Ramaphosa says SA won't witness forced removals again as laws have been put in place
• EU backs SA amid Trump administration freezing aid over Expropriation Act
President Ramaphosa has again recollected his cordial telephonic conversation with Trump following his re-election.
But since the golfing banter, Ramaphosa said that plans to build solid relations had gone awry following the enactment of the Expropriation Act.
"He got the wrong end of the stick because some people whispered to him that we are taking land from people, and there’s some genocide, which is all not true."
But Ramaphosa is playing the long game and says he's not rushing to set the record straight.
"It's not best to have a knee-jerk reaction to all this. We wanted to have the dust settle and thereafter work out ways in which to respond to what has happened."
In a statement on Thursday, Solidarity chairperson, Flip Buys, warned that the US was in the process of introducing legislation reviewing the bilateral relations between the two countries over its support for Palestine, and relations with China, Iran and Russia.
Ramaphosa said that South Africa and the US were joined at the hip because it's the country's second-largest trading partner.