President Cyril Ramaphosa was due to arrive to arrive in the U.S. on Monday morning for a working visit that will culminate in a meeting with his counterpart Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Ramaphosa travels to Washington amid strained relations
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the opening session of the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025
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Ramaphosa departed South Africa on Sunday night.
The trip comes after months of strained relations. In February, Trump accused South Africa of seizing land belonging to White farmers under its land expropriation act. White South Africans own more than 70 percent of the land despite making up just 7 percent of the population.
Trump also claimed without evidence that a genocide of White Afrikaner speakers was taking place in South Africa. He then sanctioned the country, cutting millions of dollars in aid.
South Africa has denied the accusations.
Issues including trade and tariffs, Ukraine, Gaza and G20 are expected to top the agenda of Wednesday's meeting.
South Africa holds the rotating presidency of the G20 but the U.S. has decided to effectively boycott the event.
South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice has also riled Trump. Pretoria has long been a supporter of the Palestinian people and a critic of Israel.