By Daanyaal Matthews
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to meet with United States President Donald Trump next week.
This comes amid Trump’s repeated suggestions that he may not attend the upcoming G20 meeting, while continuing to spread misinformation regarding Afrikaners and the recent emigration of 49 individuals to the U.S., whom the American administration has reportedly recognized as ‘refugees.’
Speaking on VOC Newsbeat, international relations expert Dr. Oscar van Heerden described the meeting as crucial in terms of optics for both administrations. He emphasized that President Ramaphosa must ensure he is not subjected to the same treatment as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was internationally embarrassed by Trump and his deputy JD Vance during a visit to the White House.
“The big question for the presidency and DIRCO is how to avoid a Zelensky moment because we know that President Trump is in the business of showing you up. Remember that all the media will be there, and that’s what he likes, and we must ask the question, ‘What is the intention of this meeting?’” questioned van Heerden.
He further theorized that the meeting could either be used to embarrass President Ramaphosa or serve as a platform for Trump to pressure him into retracting South Africa’s ongoing case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“Perhaps what they do want is for us to back down on the International Court of Justice case against Israel. Now, whether the South African government will coalesce on something like that is the big question because to back down on the genocide happening in Gaza would mean that South Africa is a fool that is unprincipled and not genuine in its solidarity with Palestine,” stated van Heerden.
Listen to the full interview here:
Photo: GovernmentZA
