President Ramaphosa is confident SA’s ties with the US have strengthened after meeting Donald Trump, opening new opportunities for trade and tariff discussions.
President Cyril Ramaphosa believes that South Africa’s relationship with the United States has significantly improved, and that new opportunities for trade engagement have opened following his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
This is what the president’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said on Thursday afternoon during a media briefing at the Union Buildings.
The presidential spokesperson briefed the public on Ramaphosa’s schedule and addressed key national and international issues.
Ramaphosa confident SA’s ties with US have strengthened
Magwenya said the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) team has presented a proposal to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and that formal engagements on a new trade relationship are planned for mid to late June.
“A lot of people based their analysis of that meeting on what they saw on their TV screens in the Oval Office, and the real meat of the meeting was what transpired in the closed session,” Magwenya told journalists during the question-and-answer session of the meeting.
ALSO READ: Ramaphosa mourns passing of photographer Rashid Lombard
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson said the president is enthused and satisfied with his discussion with Trump.
He added that the president remains hopeful about the continuation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) trade scheme, but he is prepared to discuss a new trade relationship framework if necessary.
Talks on trade and tariffs advance
Regarding tariffs imposed on South Africa, Magwenya said the country has included the tariff issue in a proposed trade package it has submitted for consideration.
“One of the key elements of that trade relationship will be to look at the tariff regime that must be balanced in the context of working towards a mutually beneficial trade relationship,” he said.
Watch Magwenya’s media briefing here:
Meanwhile, the question of whether Trump will be attending the G2 Summit in November remains unanswered.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Malema should apologise for ‘Kill the Boer’ chant — Trump advisor
Magwenya said Trump has not openly opposed the invitation and that it remains open.
He said Ramaphosa made a strong point about the US’s role in creating the G20 during his meeting with Trump.
“We are very hopeful. We are far more hopeful now than before the visit to the White House that he will attend, and hopefully we’ll be able to throw in a round of golf there,” the spokesperson said.
President seeks full report on Nkabane’s conduct in Parliament
Magwenya also addressed Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Nobuhle Nkabane’s recent conduct during a committee Q&A session, where she appeared to chew bubble gum.
The president has requested a detailed report on the decorum and substance of Nkabane’s engagement with the portfolio committee.
ALSO READ: Ramaphosa urges employers to give BEEI youths their ‘next opportunity’
“The request for the report is in view of the president’s expectation that ministers, deputy ministers and senior executives in the public sector conduct themselves professionally, transparently and cordially in engaging with Parliament and other accountability structures,” he said.
The report is also expected to cover the process of appointing board members to the Sector Education and Training Authority.
Condolences on death of Zambia’s Lungu
Lastly, the president has offered his condolences to Zambia’s former president, Edgar Lungu, who died at 68 on Thursday.
Lungu had been receiving medical care in a clinic in Pretoria for an extended period prior to his passing.
“Government, the Lungu family and the Zambian High Commission will undertake the necessary process to give effect to the wishes of the Lungu family. May President Lungu’s soul rest in peace,” Magwenya said.
NOW READ: Premature to claim White House encounter as a South African slam dunk
