U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, for a meeting expected to be diplomatically delicate. The engagement follows a series of controversial accusations by Trump, including a claim that South Africa is permitting a “genocide” against its white farming minority.
South Africa has vehemently rejected the genocide allegation, and Ramaphosa reportedly requested the meeting in a bid to repair relations with Washington. Diplomatic ties between the two countries have deteriorated to their lowest point since the end of apartheid in 1994.
Trump has repeatedly targeted South Africa’s Black-led government, accusing it of land seizures from white farmers, enforcing discriminatory policies, and adopting an anti-American foreign stance. Ramaphosa, however, has said he intends to challenge what he described as harmful mischaracterizations. The meeting marks Trump’s first with an African leader at the White House since his return to office.
In South Africa, concerns have been raised over how Ramaphosa may be treated during the meeting, with some fearing he could be “Zelenskyy’d”—a reference to the harsh public rebuke Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received from Trump and Vice President JD Vance during a widely publicized Oval Office session in February.
Ahead of the talks, a White House official—speaking anonymously—outlined that Trump is expected to press Ramaphosa on condemning politicians who “promote genocidal rhetoric” and on the need to designate farm attacks as priority crimes. The official also indicated Trump would raise concerns about South Africa’s race-based trade policies and the broader issue of investor confidence.
Will Trump Maintain the Genocide Claim?
Trump’s criticism began earlier this year with a Truth Social post alleging that South Africa was expropriating land from white Afrikaner farmers and committing a “massive Human Rights VIOLATION” against them. Days later, he signed an executive order halting all U.S. assistance to South Africa.
This month, the rhetoric escalated as Trump accused South Africa of carrying out a “genocide” against white farmers. His administration also announced the arrival of a small group of white South African refugees in the U.S., calling it the beginning of a broader resettlement initiative.
Asked whether the U.S. would uphold the genocide claim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed the administration’s position in an interview with CBS, citing reported murders of white farmers and claims of forced evictions.
While incidents of white farmers being killed in violent attacks have occurred, the South African government argues that these are criminal acts not motivated by race and that Black farmers are also victims. Officials have labeled the U.S. allegations as misinformation.
John Steenhuisen, South Africa’s Agriculture Minister and a member of the opposition Democratic Alliance, rejected the genocide narrative in an interview with The Associated Press. “When you mischaracterize things like that and this misinformation gets out, it does have real-world consequences,” he said. Steenhuisen is part of the official delegation in Washington.
‘Kill the Farmer’ Chant Controversy
Another issue likely to feature in Wednesday’s talks is the controversial use of the apartheid-era protest chant containing lines such as “kill the farmer” and “shoot the farmer.” Although the chant is sometimes used by a minority opposition party, it has drawn condemnation from critics, including Elon Musk, who cite it as evidence of white persecution in South Africa.
While the ruling African National Congress does not use the chant, the government has not explicitly denounced it. An Afrikaner group has called for it to be declared hate speech.
Musk’s Role in the Diplomatic Drama
Elon Musk, a vocal Trump supporter and South African-born tech magnate, has also inserted himself into the controversy. Musk has accused the South African government of racism, claiming that his Starlink satellite internet service could not obtain a license in the country because of his race.
South African officials countered that Starlink has never submitted a formal application. If it does, it would be subject to domestic laws requiring 30% local ownership by Black South Africans or other historically disadvantaged groups.
The Trump administration considers such policies a trade barrier. According to the same White House official, U.S. companies should not be subject to racial ownership requirements.
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that South Africa might be willing to soften its stance on Starlink’s ownership conditions in an effort to ease tensions. Ramaphosa declined to comment on whether discussions were underway with Musk or his representatives.
Concerns of Public Humiliation
Asked by reporters whether he feared public embarrassment similar to what Zelenskyy experienced, Ramaphosa dismissed the idea.
“South Africans are never humiliated, are they? South Africans always go into everything holding their heads high,” he said.
Despite Trump’s sharp criticism of his leadership, Ramaphosa said the focus of the meeting would be on trade and restoring a constructive diplomatic relationship.
