South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in a bid to address escalating tensions between the two nations, Pretoria announced late Wednesday.
The high-level meeting comes as diplomatic relations between the U.S and South Africa continue to fray over several contentious issues, notably Washington’s recent decision to accept white Afrikaner refugees, a move Pretoria strongly contests.
“On Wednesday, 21 May 2025, President Ramaphosa will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of interest,” read a statement from the South African presidency.
It added that the visit “provides a platform to reset the strategic relationship between the two countries.”
Strains between the two governments have deepened in recent months, with the Trump administration openly criticizing South Africa’s domestic policies.
Among the issues drawing ire from Washington are Pretoria’s land expropriation reforms aimed at correcting historical injustices and its legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
The Trump administration has taken the unusual step of welcoming a group of white Afrikaner immigrants, arguing they face “persecution” in South Africa, a claim firmly rejected by Pretoria.
Trump, who initially imposed strict limitations on refugee admissions, has made an exception for Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers, despite the South African government’s repeated insistence that these citizens are not being persecuted.
White South Africans comprise approximately 7.3 percent of the population and generally enjoy higher socioeconomic status than the black majority. Pretoria maintains that the U.S narrative misrepresents the country’s realities.
Tensions escalated further in March when Washington expelled South Africa’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, following his public criticism of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement during an online seminar.
In response to the ongoing controversy, Pretoria accused Trump of stoking political division.
“Trump’s claims are entirely politically motivated and designed to question South Africa’s constitutional democracy,” the government said.
Following the U.S resettlement of 49 Afrikaners earlier this week, Deputy President Paul Mashatile rejected allegations of white persecution.
“There’s no genocide here. We are beautiful, happy people, black and white working and living together,” he told reporters.
He also revealed that Ramaphosa would extend a formal invitation to Trump.
“We will invite President Trump to visit our beautiful country.”
