South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited US President Donald Trump at the White House on May 21, 2025, aiming to reset strained diplomatic ties caused by controversial US claims of “white genocide” against Afrikaners.
The meeting, attended by high-profile Afrikaners including Elon Musk, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and billionaire Johann Rupert, comes after Trump offered refuge to about 50 Afrikaners, alleging they face persecution in South Africa.
Ramaphosa is expected to refute the genocide allegations and discuss the potential launch of Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service in South Africa. Musk has accused South Africa of implementing “openly racist” laws that hinder Starlink’s licensing, referencing post-apartheid economic empowerment policies. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson emphasized that the president would clarify that claims of targeted killings of white farmers are “patently false.”
Tensions have escalated under Trump’s second term, with his administration criticizing South Africa’s land expropriation law and filing opposition at international forums, including the ICJ. The US has also imposed tariffs, cut aid, and expelled Pretoria’s ambassador. Ramaphosa defends the land law as a means to redress historic injustices, rejecting accusations of racially motivated seizures. South African authorities maintain that crime disproportionately affects black citizens in urban areas, not white farmers.
