Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
22 May 2025 | 12:20 CAT
3 min read

As President Cyril Ramaphosa settles into Washington this week, tensions between South Africa and the United States loom large. In a conversation on Radio Islam’s The Debrief Report, political analyst and journalist Qaanitah Hunter shared her insight into the delicate balancing act President Ramaphosa faces, particularly in the context of former President Donald Trump’s controversial and unsubstantiated claims about land grabs and genocide in South Africa.

“Since the start of United States President Donald Trump’s second term, tensions between South Africa and the United States have grown, fuelled by Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that white farmers in South Africa are facing land grabs and genocide,” said Hunter.

She explained that the meeting this week is pivotal, with three key issues on the table. “The first, obviously, is the personal kind of why is Trump making it his personal mission to almost what many perceive to be an intimidation or a persecution, if you like, of South Africa in the geopolitical stage,” she noted.

The second pressing issue is misinformation. “The persisting misinformation around Afrikaners and the danger of that narrative if it is allowed to continue unchallenged,” she warned. The third issue is trade. According to Hunter: “President Ramaphosa is going to use [trade] to his advantage this week, where they developed a trade package to say, why do we not let bygones be bygones and talk about a way that both the US and South Africa can benefit?”

With over 600 American companies operating in South Africa, and the US remaining one of the country’s largest trading partners, economic relations are crucial. “What South Africa is hoping to do and what President Cyril Ramaphosa is hoping to do this week is to position South Africa as a win-win trade destination for American companies,” said Hunter.

However, complications arise around the issue of Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, which has been pushing to operate in South Africa without meeting local equity requirements. “According to South African law, foreign companies need to gain a local equity partner to get licenses to operate in South Africa,” she explained.

At the heart of the conflict lies South Africa’s race-based legislation. “South Africa’s transformation laws, the Expropriation Act, the Employment Equity Amendment Act, as well as what they claim are 40 other race-based laws, are constitutionally mandated… President Ramaphosa actually does not have the power to simply change those legislations,” she said.

Hunter noted that these laws are often mischaracterised in international narratives. “None of these laws, including the Expropriation Act, is illegal in any way, and the Expropriation Act allows for expropriation without compensation in an exceptional circumstance that does not amount to land theft. No white land has ever been taken away,” she said.

Despite the diplomatic and legal clarity, the battle is also about perception. “Now the question is, how does President Cyril Ramaphosa maintain South Africa’s sovereignty and deliver that message… while also preserving the relationships of South African companies doing business with the US, particularly the citrus sector, nut farmers, as well as our wine industry.”

When asked whether Trump could change his stance, Hunter was candid. She stated: “Can Trump change his mind that a white genocide is happening in South Africa? The answer is only if he wants to. I think that President Cyril Ramaphosa is not going to push that narrative in a very hard way.”

Instead, she believes the South African delegation will focus on trade diplomacy. “They are hoping that a sweetener trade deal that Trade and Investment Minister Ebrahim Patel has prepared will be what actually saves the day,” Hunter said.

Yet, she acknowledged the influence of those in Trump’s orbit. “A lot of the people around Trump, the former South Africans, what they call the PayPal mafia… have pushed forward this perception that Afrikaners are being racially persecuted.”

Hunter believes Trump will probably not change his mind.

LISTEN to the full interview with Muallimah Shaakira Hunter and Qaanitah Hunter, here.