[FRIAM] Trump and Afrikaner Refugees

[steve smith]

Pieter Steenekamp wrote:
> 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.
> 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.
> 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.
> Source: 
> https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-19-ramaphosas-trump-meeting-is-a-diplomatic-coup/


I had no idea how much of the "refugee" story had a backstory of Trump's 
(typical) /bully first, negotiate later/ style.

Thanks for the DM link...

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).

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/

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.

I haven't done the research but I'd guess there is one or more 
"opposition" news outlets there which offer contrasting opinions.



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