Africa-Press – South-Africa. US President Donald Trump publicly announced South African leaders will visit him in Washington DC next week, but President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office says they are awaiting formal confirmation from the White House.
Ramaphosa is hoping the visit will help counter false claims repeatedly pushed by Trump that white Afrikaner farmers are victims of genocide.
“They are being killed and we don’t want to see people being killed,” Trump told US journalists on Monday.
“I understand South African leadership [is] to see me some time next week. We’re supposed to have a G20 meeting there or something, but I don’t know how we can go unless that situation is taken care of. It’s a genocide that’s taking place and you people don’t want to write about it. But it’s a terrible thing, farmers are being killed. They happen to be white, but whether they are white or black makes no difference to me — but white farmers are being brutally killed and their land is being confiscated.”
While Trump doubled down on his long-running narrative, Ramaphosa’s team said the meeting will be confirmed once the US officially signs off.
A group of 49 Afrikaners left for the US earlier this week after they were granted refugee status by the Trump administration earlier this year. They claimed to be fleeing racial persecution in South Africa, which South African officials have strongly rejected.
Speaking on the sidelines of Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban, Deputy President Paul Mashatile said Ramaphosa would extend an invitation for Trump to visit South Africa during the White House meeting, if it goes ahead.
“He will invite President Trump to come here so he can see our beautiful country and see there is no genocide. We are beautiful, happy people, black and white, working and living together. I hope he will accept the invitation because I think he’s being lied to.”
International relations and co-operation minister Ronald Lamola is expected to be involved in the engagement in Washington. Lamola told SABC News plans for the meeting are at an advanced stage.
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