Democratic Alliance (DA) leader and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump, saying it presents an opportunity to correct harmful misinformation about South Africa.
Speaking to IOL on Thursday during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s working visit to South Africa, Steenhuisen said the talks would allow Ramaphosa to challenge the “false narrative” that serious human rights abuses were taking place in the country.
“There’s no mass expropriation of land. There’s no genocide taking place at all,” Steenhuisen said. “This is a chance to show President Trump that the picture being painted by some is simply not true. I’m very glad that the two presidents have spoken.”
Ramaphosa confirmed earlier in the day that he and Trump had agreed to hold talks aimed at strengthening US-South Africa relations.
“We both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding our bilateral relationship,” Ramaphosa said. “We also discussed the importance of fostering good relations between our two countries.”
Trump previously claimed that “terrible things” were happening in South Africa, citing reports from lobby groups AfriForum and the Solidarity movement, who alleged that the South African government was targeting white citizens through land expropriation and discrimination.
The South African government has repeatedly dismissed these claims as false and misleading.
Trump responded to the reports by cutting US aid to South Africa, imposing a 30% tariff on certain imports, and offering refugee status to Afrikaners. AfriForum declined the offer, stating that leaving the country was not a viable option.
Steenhuisen warned that the next three months would be crucial, urging South Africans to “tread carefully” and make strategic use of the 90-day window to mitigate the impact of the new tariffs.
