Buffeted by Trump, South Africa’s Ramaphosa praised for keeping his cool

JOHANNESBURG - Facing a barrage of debunked claims from US President Donald Trump that white people were being persecuted in his country, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa remained composed, pushed back politely and even tried to joke with Mr Trump.

Mr Ramaphosa may have drawn on his experience as the African National Congress' lead negotiator in talks that led to the peaceful end of apartheid in 1994 during

the May 21 televised confrontation

in the Oval Office.

"His conduct was in keeping with the proud diplomatic tradition of President Nelson Mandela," said Mr Ramaphosa's party, the African National Congress, invoking the legacy of the revered liberation struggle leader and first black president.

Repeatedly interrupted by Mr Trump, Mr Ramaphosa calmly challenged claims that minority Afrikaners were the targets of a "white genocide". The once fringe theory has been exponentially amplified by Mr Trump and his South African-born ally, billionaire Elon Musk.

"There is criminality in our country. People who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity are not only white people. Majority of them are black people," said Mr Ramaphosa.

The way he handled Mr Trump's onslaught was mostly drawing praise back home on May 22.

"President Ramaphosa did well to maintain a calm demeanour and he did well to stick to the facts as close as possible," said author Pieter du Toit.

Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said Mr Ramaphosa kept sight of the bigger picture and did not take the bait.

"There was never a sense of arrogance on the side of Ramaphosa. He managed his emotions in a tactful way," he said.

Mr Ramaphosa would have been braced for a hostile reception given Mr Trump has cut aid to South Africa, threatened it with a 30 per cent trade tariff under his "Liberation Day" regime, expelled its ambassador and

offered refuge to Afrikaners

based on claims of persecution Mr Ramaphosa's government says are unfounded.

Expectations of what the visit might achieve were therefore measured.

"Few of those who watched the spectacle would have been left with the impression that SA-US relations are set to improve," said Mr Louw Nel, senior political analyst at Oxford Economics.

"The South African president... is considered a master negotiator and his ability to charm audiences is well-known. But even he must be wondering if it was wise visiting the White House at this time," he wrote in a note.

Performance rated ‘7/10’

Mr Ramaphosa, 72, rose to prominence during apartheid as a mining union leader. After helping bring white minority rule to an end, he became a successful businessman before returning to front-line politics and becoming president in 2018.

His extensive network was evident in the Oval Office, where he was accompanied by luxury goods billionaire Johann Rupert, South Africa's richest man, and by champion golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

"It was pragmatic of him to bring the golfers and Rupert, they are the sort of people Trump likes to speak with," said analyst Mr Mathekga.

That pragmatism extended to inviting the three men and agriculture minister John Steenhuisen, all of whom are white, to address Mr Trump, who listened to them without interrupting - in contrast to how he treated Mr Ramaphosa.

"I'll give it a 7/10 which is high for a Trump meeting," said Ms Phumzile van Damme, a former lawmaker from Mr Steenhuisen's party, the Democratic Alliance, which is part of Mr Ramaphosa's coalition government.

"President Ramaphosa I'm sure wanted to avoid a Zelensky moment and that's why he batted to Rupert and John (Steenhuisen)," she added, referring to

Mr Trump's shouting match

with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February.

At the start of the meeting, Mr Ramaphosa complimented Mr Trump on his changes to the Oval Office decor, offered him a 14kg book on South African golf courses and joked about having worked on his own golf so he could take on Mr Trump, who loves the sport.

Even after Mr Trump began his attacks and played a video that falsely purported to show thousands of graves of white farmers in South Africa, Mr Ramaphosa tried to defuse tensions with humour.

Mr Trump was raging at a reporter for asking about a luxury jet he has accepted as a gift from Qatar, when Mr Ramaphosa interjected: "I am sorry I don't have a plane to give you."

Mr Trump appeared unamused. "I wish you did," he said, before resuming his attacks. REUTERS