South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s diplomatic push to reset ties with the United States took an unexpected turn on Wednesday during a tense Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump, as discussions over land reform and violence against white farmers quickly overshadowed his message of unity and economic cooperation.
Ramaphosa had hoped to use the meeting to promote trade, investment, and showcase South Africa as a country of reconciliation and diversity.
Strategy backfired
As part of that effort, he brought two of the nation’s top golfers – Ernie Els and Retief Goosen – both Afrikaners, to demonstrate that prominent white South Africans support his leadership and that racial harmony remains a national goal.
However, the strategy backfired.
When Trump invited the golfers to speak during the meeting, their comments undercut Ramaphosa’s narrative.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right,” Els remarked, alluding to historic injustices but warning against retaliatory policies.
Goosen shared that his family lives behind electric fences on their farm due to safety concerns – reinforcing Trump’s long-standing claim that white Afrikaners face targeted violence.
Trump, joined by South Africa-born billionaire Elon Musk and visibly sympathetic to the controversial claims of a “white genocide,” used the opportunity to press Cyril Ramaphosa on farm attacks and land expropriation.
Trump aired video footage depicting white crosses said to represent murdered farmers, insisting that South Africa is failing to protect its white minority.
Land reform law
Ramaphosa, visibly trying to steer the conversation back to policy and partnership, emphasised that the land reform law – which allows expropriation without compensation in specific cases – is constitutional and designed to correct apartheid-era dispossession.
He reiterated that the vast majority of South Africans support a peaceful and lawful approach to land reform.
Backing for Ramaphosa came from billionaire businessman Johann Rupert, who stressed that crime in South Africa is not racially motivated but affects all communities.
He pointed to the Cape Flats, a majority-coloured area plagued by gang violence, as evidence that the nation’s challenges are widespread and complex.
Still, the overall tone of the meeting sent a clear message to Ramaphosa: time is running out.
With the US having recently granted refugee status to a group of white Afrikaners and Trump freezing most American aid to South Africa earlier this year, the Oval Office encounter underscored Washington’s mounting impatience.
Trump and his officials have largely shunned South Africa’s G20 initiatives, a sign of deepening diplomatic rifts.
Despite Ramaphosa’s efforts to focus on trade, tourism, and investment, the conversation was dominated by Trump’s insistence on addressing the safety of white farmers.
It was a reminder that even symbolic gestures can quickly be turned into political flashpoints in today’s deeply polarised global climate.
Were you worried Cyril Ramaphosa’s golf-heavy delegation would choke?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
