South Africa’s President to Meet Trump Amid Tensions Over ‘Genocide’ Refugees

Agenda is expected to include alleged genocide of Afrikaners, trade and tariffs, critical minerals, and Pretoria’s alliances with opponents of America.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses new members of the African National Congress during an election campaign ahead of the 2024 general elections, north of Durban, on May 14, 2023. Rajesh Jantilal/AFP via Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG—The leaders of Africa’s largest, most industrialized economy and the world’s greatest superpower are set to meet at the White House on Wednesday with relations between the two apparently at an all-time low.

With the South African government firmly in the camp of America’s primary geopolitical foes and accused by U.S. President Donald Trump of racially persecuting white Afrikaners, one international relations analyst said the “potential for flashpoints is ultra-high.”