The White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was tense. It turned into a dispute over controversial allegations of “genocide” against the white population in South Africa.
The atmosphere at the beginning of the meeting was calm. Trump and Ramaphosa talked about golf, and the latter noted that he had given Trump a 14-kilogram book depicting the golf courses of South Africa. He also thanked the US president for his support during the pandemic.
However, the course of the meeting changed dramatically when Trump’s adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, joined the meeting. The main topic of discussion became the issue of violence and “genocide” against white Afrikaners living in South Africa, descendants of Dutch and French settlers.
In the Oval Office, Donald Trump showed a series of videos, declaring: “This is a terrible sight, I have never seen anything like it.” He also presented, in his words, photographs of murdered white South Africans.
During a screening of one of the videos shot at the cemetery, President Ramaphosa asked where the video was shot, noting that he had never seen anything like it. He added that the statements and actions of African opposition figure Julius Malema did not reflect South Africa’s official position.
Ramaphosa emphasized that South Africa is a democratic country where citizens have the right to free expression, but at the same time noted that the crime problem affects everyone, regardless of skin color.
After the meeting, President Ramaphosa commented on the situation: “You wanted to see drama and something big. I apologize for disappointing you to some extent.”
