Africa-Press – Zambia. A contentious White House meeting on May 21, between U.S. President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, aimed at easing U.S.-South Africa tensions, exposed sharp divides, with South African billionaire Johann Rupert delivering a pointed jab at Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen.
As Trump pressed on crime and land reform issues, Rupert seized the moment to redirect the narrative, zeroing in on the soaring murder rate in the Cape Flats, a gang-ridden area in the Democratic Alliance (DA)-led Western Cape.
With a clear edge of disdain, Rupert remarked, “The crime is terrible, but Mr. Steenhuisen won’t admit that he runs the Western Cape where I live, where the biggest murder rate is in the Cape Flats.”
The comment, dripping with frustration, underscored the failure of Steenhuisen’s DA to curb gang violence, implicitly questioning his leadership.
South African data backs Rupert’s focus, with 26,232 murders nationwide in 2024, only 44 tied to farming communities, impacting both Black and white victims.
Rupert’s barb put Steenhuisen on the defensive, highlighting tensions between the billionaire and the DA leader.
Ramaphosa, meanwhile, countered Trump’s narrative, stressing that crime affects all South Africans and no land has been seized under the Expropriation Act.
The meeting adjourned without resolving trade or diplomatic rifts, leaving U.S.-South Africa relations in limbo.
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