<div dir="ltr">It was a tough day for Ramaphosa yesterday.<br>Donald Trump appears to have been influenced by far-right narratives about widespread, politically motivated farm murders in South Africa, particularly targeting Afrikaners. He seemed to accept that narrative, which made things tricky.<br><br>Despite this, I’m proud of how the Ramaphosa team handled the situation.<br>I paid close attention to Trump's body language once the discussion moved past the farm murder topic, and I believe he was receptive to the points our team raised. They also held private talks after the public exchanges, which will likely lead to more focused trade negotiations. Overall, I’m feeling positive about the outcome. Sure, it could have gone better, but it certainly wasn’t a disaster—nothing like the Trump/Zelensky fiasco.<br><br>Just a bit of context for my American friends:<br>The ANC (African National Congress) has governed South Africa since the advent of democracy. However, in last year’s election, they lost their majority for the first time, dropping below 50%. This led to the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU), though in practice it’s a coalition between the ANC and the white-led Democratic Alliance (DA), led by John Steenhuisen—who also participated in last night’s presentation.<br><br>While many Afrikaners (maybe most?) do support the DA, there's also strong support among them for the right-wing Freedom Front Plus (FF+), which could be described as South Africa’s version of MAGA. "Maga"-Afrikaners are maybe the minority of Afrikaners and Afrikaners are a small minority of all in South Africa, so there is no reasonable possibility of them gaining significant votes. They also support the rule of law and the I don't expect trouble from them. Those that influence Trump are even further right-wing than the FF+. <br><br>In contrast, the DA draws support from a broad cross-section of South African society, across all racial groups—including a significant number of urban Black voters.<br><br>Looking ahead:<br>Recent polls show the DA with a slight lead. While it’s almost certain they’ll not win an outright majority, they could emerge as the largest party in the next election. If that happens, they may form a government, and John Steenhuisen could become president. Maybe I'm day-reaming?</div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, 20 May 2025 at 21:08, steve smith <<a href="mailto:sasmyth@swcp.com">sasmyth@swcp.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
<div>
Pieter Steenekamp wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<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/" target="_blank">https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-19-ramaphosas-trump-meeting-is-a-diplomatic-coup/</a><br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p><br>
</p>
<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/" target="_blank">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>
<p><br>
</p>
<br>
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