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Pieter Steenekamp wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAPerSOLjSCwwzNJAUK9X2UHEXAqp-mFnTun49Usdo7KFKUXjUA@mail.gmail.com">
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<div dir="ltr">South Africa eagerly awaits President Cyril
Ramaphosa’s upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, a
significant diplomatic breakthrough. An insightful article from
Daily Maverick highlights how Ramaphosa achieved this feat
through influential connections and a strategic approach that
resonated with Trump.<br>
The article explains that Ramaphosa’s success is a major
diplomatic victory, overcoming months of intense and damaging
criticism from Trump. Traditional diplomatic efforts had failed,
with Washington largely ignoring South Africa’s outreach.
Despite persistent attempts by South African government,
diplomatic, and business delegations, access to Trump remained
blocked.<br>
On Capitol Hill, sources noted that South Africa underestimated
the depth of hostility. Even allies sympathetic to South
Africa’s anti-apartheid history were cautious about aligning
with a nation facing unprecedented scrutiny from Trump. The
article points out that South Africa endured more targeted
executive orders and coordinated attacks than even U.S.
adversaries like Iran, Cuba, and China. Tensions had been
brewing before Trump’s election, with discussions of potential
sanctions already underway.<br>
Source: <a
href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-19-ramaphosas-trump-meeting-is-a-diplomatic-coup/"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-19-ramaphosas-trump-meeting-is-a-diplomatic-coup/</a><br>
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<p>I had no idea how much of the "refugee" story had a backstory of
Trump's (typical) <i>bully first, negotiate later</i> style.<br>
</p>
<p>Thanks for the DM link... <br>
</p>
<p>I do always enjoy local media perspectives on faraway places...
something you used to only encounter when you visited or maybe
someone visited you and brought a newspaper (or more rarely a
recording of local radio).</p>
<p><a
href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-19-the-other-side-of-the-afrikaner-refugee-coin-americans-who-live-work-love-in-south-africa/"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-19-the-other-side-of-the-afrikaner-refugee-coin-americans-who-live-work-love-in-south-africa/</a></p>
<p>There were numerous references in this one article alone which
exposed me to my own mis-assumptions. I was aware of the BRICS
alignment but did not realize that Zuid-Afrika has taken a strong
political position against Israel's actions (genocide) against
Palestine, for example.</p>
<p>I haven't done the research but I'd guess there is one or more
"opposition" news outlets there which offer contrasting
opinions. <br>
</p>
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