How did a deceptively placid Ramaphosa climb such a colossal obstacle? Powerful, rich friends. A language that Trump understands too well.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has scored a diplomatic coup. After months of a caustic, damaging blitzkrieg by America’s president, Donald Trump, Ramaphosa has finally kicked the White House door open.
Let’s be clear: diplomatic channels did not deliver this moment. Despite a hopeful disposition by South Africa, Washington had shut the door and blue-ticked the country. No amount of traffic from government, diplomatic and business delegations could break the padlock to Trump’s door.
On Capitol Hill, word was that South Africa underestimates the acrimony. Even sympathetic allies who had supported the anti-apartheid struggle were wary of being associated with a country that was receiving unprecedented attention from Trump. Not even America’s nemeses, such as Iran, Cuba and China, were receiving the slew of executive orders and well-coordinated, sadistic attacks that South Africa was receiving from the White House resident. But long before Trump won the election, the tide against South Africa had turned and there were already talks of sanctions.
A friendlier White House under former president Joe Biden could not fully prevent the moves by some US legislators to punish South Africa for daring to take Israel to the International Court of Justice over its ongoing genocide in Gaza. Relationships with countries that the US deemed enemies – Iran, China, Russia – were also provoking umbrage. Ramaphosa will definitely face these questions from a well-prepared US.
