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Relations between South Africa and the United States have grown increasingly tense in recent months—and the strain is now hard to ignore.
Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, the two countries have clashed repeatedly over the US administration’s decision to grant refugee status to white South African farmers, whom Trump claims are victims of “racial discrimination.”
The situation escalated further in March when Washington expelled South African ambassador Ebrahim Rasool over his public criticism of the Trump administration’s stance.
Now, a high-level meeting may offer a chance to ease tensions. Late Wednesday, the South African presidency confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa will travel to Washington next week for talks with President Trump. While Pretoria did not disclose the meeting agenda, it is expected that the controversial resettlement plan for white South Africans will be a key topic of discussion.
Earlier this week, the US welcomed 59 white South Africans as refugees, marking the beginning of what the Trump administration has described as a broader relocation programme for Afrikaner farmers. Trump has repeatedly claimed that these farmers are being persecuted because of their race—accusations the South African government strongly denies.
“No evidence of genocide”
The South African government maintains that white farmers are not being targeted on the basis of race, and that farm murders—while deeply concerning—reflect broader issues of violent crime affecting all communities. The claim of “genocide” against white farmers, echoed by Trump on Monday, has been widely debunked, including by a South African court ruling in February.
Much of the US criticism appears to centre on South Africa’s affirmative action policies and a new land expropriation law that allows the government to seize unused or underutilised land without compensation when it serves the public interest. The South African government insists the law is aimed at addressing historical land injustices and is not intended as a punitive measure against white landowners.
Still, some Afrikaner groups argue the policy could be misused to target their communities. These concerns have gained traction among conservatives in the US and have been seized upon by the Trump administration to justify the refugee programme.
As Ramaphosa prepares to meet Trump, the outcome of their talks could determine whether the two nations can move beyond this diplomatic standoff—or whether the rift will deepen further.
