South African president Cyril Ramaphosa refused to take the bait when Donald Trump falsely accused his nation of committing white genocide, in what his spokesperson dismissed as “an orchestrated show for the cameras”.
Ramaphosa remained composed and suggested the two leaders “talk about it very calmly” as Trump ambushed him with a video making the untrue allegations that white Afrikaners in South Africa were victims of genocide.
President Cyril Ramaphosa conducted himself in a very respectable manner as he engaged in a much-anticipated meeting with United States (U.S) President Donald Trump on Wednesday. The purpose of the visit was to reset and revitalise bilateral relations between South Africa and the United States (US).
Despite Trumps baseless accusations that South Africa is committing white genocide against Afrikaners, Ramaphosa remained respectful and adamant that the two countries can resolve challenges in an amicable manner.
Speaking on VOC Breakfast on Thursday morning, Hlumelo Xaba, Analyst and Governance Expert said he expected the meeting to be somewhat confrontational given Trumps unpredictability.
“Ramaphosa kept a very cool head and opened the discussions around geopolitical matters, but things did take a turn when the topic of SA committing what is deemed as a “white genocide” against farmers, but even then Ramaphosa kept a level head,” he added.
Xaba said he expected the meeting to be very transactional with the U.S demanding certain things and SA getting something in return.
“Our sovereignty as a country should never be compromised and with all the businessmen that were present, one cannot help but think that they have some sort of influence in governmental affairs and how policy positions should be,” he added.
Image: SA Government
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