Videos: Minister highlights strategic importance of Ramaphosa's meeting with Trump
International Relations and Co-operation Minister Ronald Lamola has emphasised the significance of President Cyril Ramaphosa's visit to the United States (US), saying it is crucial for resetting bilateral trade relations between the two countries.
'It is very important, because America is South Africa's second largest trading partner, and also we are number one trading partner for the US on the [African] continent. So, there is a need to reset bilateral relations that are mutually beneficial between the two countries, so that will be the core of the engagement,' the minister told SAnews in an interview at the South African embassy in Washington D.C.
Ramaphosa is due to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House today.
Part of broader foreign policy strategy
This engagement marks an important moment in South Africa's broader foreign policy strategy. As a leading voice in the Global South, the country continues to balance relationships with both emerging economies and traditional Western partners.
Lamola described the president's visit as highly important.
Mutually beneficial partnerships
The minister explained that this engagement forms part of the country's broader efforts to establish mutually beneficial partnerships, particularly in areas such as industrialisation, value addition, and the utilisation of South Africa's strategic mineral resources.
'It remains a very important visit. As you are aware, we engage with the Global North as well. This is part of an extension of that engagement, to engage on mutual beneficial relationship, particularly on issues of industrialisation, of value addition, strategic minerals in South Africa, and also on how we can work together in terms of manufacturing to benefit from the Africa Free Trade Area, as South Africa remains an important player and a gateway to the continent. This is a very strategic engagement,' the minister explained.
Agoa and trade reset
At the top of the agenda is the resetting of the trade relationship – particularly in light of the technical nullification of African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) benefits due to tariffs introduced by Trump's administration.
Agoa is a US trade preference programme that benefits eligible sub-Saharan African countries, providing duty-free access to the US market for many products, including vehicles, citrus, wine, and some apparel.
The minister said these tariffs have nullified the preferential access previously afforded to South African goods.
'I think the tariffs, as we have already said, have technically nullified Agoa because they impact on what was the preferential treatment of South African products. That's why it is very important that this engagement does take place, to reset those bilateral relations, to redefine the trade parameters between the two countries in a manner that still respects and values the Africa Free Trade Area,' he said.
Beyond trade
Beyond trade, the meetings are also expected to touch on other pertinent issues, including the country's transformation agenda.
'The most important is the reset of the bilateral trade relations between the two countries in a mutually beneficial way. Obviously, other issues may pop out during the engagements … like the one of the South Africans who were given refugee status in the US,' the minister said.
Transformation
Addressing concerns around South Africa's constitutional transformation imperatives, the minister emphasised that the transformation agenda is a constitutional mandate and a national imperative designed to benefit all South Africans, ensuring inclusive participation without exclusion.
'We continue to state that this is a very important programme for the people of South Africa to continue on the transformatory path that is beneficial to the whole of society, so that there is no exclusion of anyone and everyone can participate. And it is well known that there is no direct persecution, or any form of persecution of white Afrikaners as a race.
'We cannot avoid issues that can pop out for clarification, and we remain ready as and when they do pop up to respond and to deal with them,' said the minister.
As the world watches this high-level engagement unfold, government says it remains focused on leveraging diplomatic platforms to drive inclusive growth and deepen international partnerships.
Watch as the president explains his visit:
The trade relations between South Africa and the United States will be the focus of my working visit here. We aim to strengthen and consolidate relations between our two countries. pic.twitter.com/d2CT7FpoKc
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 20, 2025
We will also use the working visit to clarify South Africa's policy positions on a range of pressing geopolitical matters. pic.twitter.com/cLXBcxvzaF
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 20, 2025
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
Duduzile claps back at Floyd Shivambu's 'takes drugs' comments
Duduzile Zuma-Samudla has finally responded to shady comments made by fellow MK Party MP, Floyd Shivambu. In a press briefing on Thursday, 19 June, the former secretary general accused his party nemesis of 'taking drugs'. Floyd was effectively demoted after the party condemned his visit to the wanted Malawian preacher, Shepard Bushiri, last month. On her Instagram Story, Duduzile shared a clip of herself laughing with EFF President Julius Malema. Like Duduzile, Floyd Shivambu threw Malema under the bus, claiming the latter was running a 'cult.' The daughter of Jacob Zuma captioned the clip: 'It's politics after all'. Image via Instagram: @duduzilezuma_sambudla Like Duduzile, Julius Malema has also subtly responded to Floyd Shivambu's comments. After the press conference, the 'CIC' reacted to Floyd's criticism of the EFF and those who supported him. Malema posted a clip of EFF top brass on X: 'The leadership we have is quite alright.' During the briefing, Floyd addressed several topics, including an interest in possibly establishing his own political party. The former MK Party secretary-general also used the opportunity to making shady comments about the ANC, which he labelled as 'directionless' and the EFF, which he called a 'cult'. Referring to his own party, Floyd made a comment many believe was directed at Duduzile, the daughter of the MK Party founder, Jacob Zuma. He said, 'When you raise issues internally, you don't need to gossip about them anywhere. All the issues and concerns I had about MK, I raised internally, even against all odds. When there is an opportunity to raise an issue about wrongdoings. I clearly speak against untouchables who take drugs, tweet at night, and insult us.' He added: 'We confront them and say 'What is this about?'' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
Fuel price pain as missiles fly
While missiles fly thousands of kilometres away, the effects of a deepening conflict between Israel and Iran are beginning to reach South African shores - not through politics or security, but through rising prices at the pump and pressure on already-stretched household budgets. A surge in global oil prices, triggered by military strikes on strategic energy assets and growing fears of supply disruption, is stoking inflation concerns that could ripple through the economy and stall any hopes of interest rate relief. The bombardment of Iranian military targets by Isreal erupted over a week ago as airstrikes targeted Iranian military infrastructure, including pivotal oil and gas facilities such as the South Pars gas field and the Shahr Rey oil refinery, provoking retaliatory missile attacks by Iran on major Israeli cities. This has raised alarm bells among market watchers, particularly given Iran's critical role as the third-largest oil producer within the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+), contributing around four million barrels of crude oil per day and controlling access to the vital Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial maritime chokepoint through which approximately 18–19 million barrels per day or 20% of global oil shipments pass, making any potential disruption a considerable concern for worldwide oil supply. Despite Iran maintaining crude exports at 2.2 million barrels per day amid the conflict, rising shipping costs and delays due to the potential blockade of this strategic waterway could influence inflation across the globe. Nolan Wapenaar, co-chief investment officer at Anchor Capital, on Friday said the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would have far-reaching consequences for South Africa's economy. Wapenaar said this would obviously be a major blockage in the supply of oil to the rest of the globe. 'This could drastically impact the availability of oil and one would expect significantly higher prices. The clear impact in South Africa is higher inflation and quite potentially rising interest rates again,' Wapenaar said. 'The impact of a major supply shock to oil will be more pronounced and detrimental to South Africa. We would expect pressure on the terms of trade from rising oil prices, the South African rand could well weaken, exacerbating inflation pressures beyond just the impact of oil prices and supply.' According to the OPEC+, the global oil demand growth forecast for 2025 remains at 1.3 million barrels per day. The eight OPEC+ countries, which previously announced additional voluntary adjustments, have agreed to start a gradual and flexible return of the 2.2 million barrels per day by implementing a production adjustment of 411 000 barrels per day in July 2025 in view of a steady global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals. Analysts warn that the conflict has the potential to reshape power relations within the Middle East and influence OPECʼs internal dynamics as Iran's role as a major oil producer and its strategic position in the Gulf give it considerable leverage. Bianca Botes, director at Citadel Global, said the Strait of Hormuzʼs strategic importance cannot be overstated. 'Any disruption – whether due to military action, electronic interference affecting navigation systems, or blockades – could severely constrain global oil supply. Recent incidents, such as the collision and fire involving two oil tankers near the strait, have heightened these concerns,' Botes said. 'While OPEC members possess some excess production capacity that could theoretically offset Iranian supply losses, the risk of a prolonged or expanded conflict introduces significant uncertainty. 'Analysts warn that oil prices could spike to $100/barrel or even $120/barrel if supply through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. Such a price shock would reverberate through global markets, impacting inflation, consumer costs, and economic growth worldwide.' South Africa consumes around 530 000 barrels of oil per day, or more than 25 million litres of petroleum products each year, facilitated by imports and its three operational refiners. Petrol and diesel are the most important petroleum products, accounting for more than 85% of consumption. While the country refines imported crude oil, a portion of its fuel supply also comes from synthetic fuels produced from coal and natural gas. The increase in the fuel price would come as consumers are already battling with the high cost of living after the finance minister hiked the General Fuel Levy (GFL) by 16 cents per litre for petrol and 15 cents per litre for diesel — the first increase in three years — on the back of inflationary pressures. The price of Brent crude oil traded around $77 (around R1 390) per barrel on Friday, heading for a third consecutive weekly gain as escalating hostilities in the Middle East continued to fuel fears of regional supply disruptions. However, Investec chief economist Annabel Bishop allayed fears of any fuel supply shortages but said the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would raise shipping costs, impacting inflation and also increase shipping delays. 'South Africa mainly gets oil from Africa and Saudi Arabia (which is expected to stay out of the conflict) so the supply is not expected to be interrupted,' Bishop said. 'We are less impacted as we get our oil supply from Africa not the middle east and are food secure. We would be impacted on price not supply as all oil is priced off Brent crude.' Rising oil prices have immediate and far-reaching consequences. Higher crude costs translate into increased transportation and manufacturing expenses, feeding into broader inflationary pressures. This dynamic can slow economic activity by reducing consumer purchasing power and increasing production costs. Inflation in South Africa has held steady at 2.8%, paving the way for potential interest rate cuts though several factors may yet cause the Reserve Bank to adopt a more hawkish stance. Everest Wealth CEO, Thys van Zyl, said rising tensions in the Middle East and discussions about lowering South Africa's inflation target band were two key concerns that could temper expectations of further rate cuts. 'This conflict could quickly filter through to fuel prices and transport inflation – and that will narrow the room for rate cuts,' Van Zyl said. 'Although food inflation rose sharply in May due to the impact of foot-and-mouth disease on beef prices, transport inflation was the only category with negative growth thanks to the past year's decline in fuel prices – which helped keep overall inflation low.' BUSINESS REPORT
eNCA
3 hours ago
- eNCA
Zambian ex-president to be buried in South Africa after funeral row
LUSAKA - The family of Zambia's late president, Edgar Lungu, announced on Friday that he will be buried in South Africa after a row with the Zambian government over its plans for a state funeral. Lungu's family on Wednesday stopped his body from being repatriated from South Africa, where he died in hospital on June 5, after it emerged that President Hakainde Hichilema planned to receive it upon arrival against the late leader's wishes. In response, Hichilema cut short an extended period of national mourning for Lungu, whom he replaced in 2021 after winning elections. Lungu's funeral and burial "will take place here in South Africa, in accordance with the family's wishes for a private ceremony", spokesman Makebi Zulu said in a statement. "The Lungu family continues to seek peace and unity amongst fellow Zambians during this time," the statement said, thanking the South African government for its "non-interference and respect of the... rights of the family". The cause of the former president's death at the age of 68 was not announced but he had been receiving specialised treatment in a clinic in Pretoria, his Patriotic Front party said. He was elected to lead the copper-rich southern African country in 2015 but lost elections six years later to Hichilema, from the United Party for National Development. Since then, his wife and children have been charged with corruption and possession of suspected proceeds of crime in what the family has claimed to be part of a political vendetta. Lungu's daughter Tasila Lungu was arrested in February on money laundering charges. She was previously detained alongside her mother and sister on fraud charges in 2024. Her brother, Dalitso, is also facing corruption charges. An initial seven days of mourning for Lungu was extended by another nine days to end on June 23, the day after the government had scheduled a state funeral for. But Hichilema ended the period of mourning four days early on Thursday in reaction to the family's refusal to allow the body to return.
