 "Trump met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in White House yesterday. Reuters")
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s calm demeanour during US President Donald Trump’s ambush at the Oval Office has earned the appreciation of South Africans.
It was a Zelenskyy-showdown all over again at the White House on Wednesday after Trump, instead of having a civil bilateral talk with the first African leader to have visited the US, cornered him and pushed his baseless argument of “genocide” against white South Africans.
“What else could Cyril have done? You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. I think they were caught completely unawares. How on earth could you have planned for that?” asked veteran journalist Milton Nkosi.
People from his country were quick to back Ramaphosa, with many citizens taking to X to show their support. “He remained calm, collected and humble in the face of bigotry and lies. You were a leader today. Went to build not to fight,” one user wrote.
Turn the lights down,” President Trump said. It was showtime in the Oval Office . He directed everyone’s attention to a television that had been wheeled into the room, and a video began to play. Trump stared at the screen while Ramaphosa looked away. For roughly four minutes, the video showed Black politicians — none part of Ramaphosa’s government or political party — using anti-apartheid chants about attacking white South Africans.
“It’s a terrible sight. I’ve never seen anything like it,” the US president said, to which Ramaphosa replied, “I’d like to know where that is. Because this I’ve never seen.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSome South Africans have dismissed the information referred to by Trump as “AfriForum propaganda,” a White Afrikaner lobby group that has faced criticism for promoting White nationalist views.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa rejected allegations of genocide in South Africa, which has a painful history with race. Once an apartheid country, it was ruled by a white minority known as Afrikaners. The system of racist oppression ended three decades ago, and some tension remains despite largely successful efforts at reconciliation.