This week’s much-anticipated meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his US counterpart Donald Trump marked a crucial inflection point in the relationship between Pretoria and Washington. With the steady deterioration in ties between the two countries, things were bound to come to a head at some point — and did so with Trump’s ascension to the US presidency.
The meeting benefits South Africa in several ways. First, it will strengthen the rapport between Ramaphosa and Trump, opening a necessary communication channel between the two countries.
Second, apart from fostering a better understanding of the two states’ national interests, the meeting may lay the foundation for co-operation in various areas, including economically and diplomatically.
For us, this could be an opportunity not only to retain current economic ties, but also to grow our stagnant economy and overcome our intolerably high unemployment levels and deep economic inequalities.
Diplomatically, the countries’ respective outlooks have been a source of growing tension. While the US has sought to absorb South Africa into its sphere of influence, Pretoria has sometimes acted as though it deliberately wants to wreck the relationship. A rapprochement would lead at least to better understanding and at best to improved co-operation where there is scope for working together, such as on peacekeeping in Africa and elsewhere.
Perhaps those South Africans who perpetuated the genocide myth will now finally see the damage to the country and its people they have caused
However, given the turbulence that has characterised the countries’ ties in recent times, it would be premature to claim the relationship has now been reset. There remain bones of contention for the US — it does not like some of South Africa’s internal policies and is hostile to several of our foreign allies.
Nevertheless, to work together the two countries do not have to agree on everything, especially given their divergent histories.
While South Africa must nurture a partnership with the US, it cannot surrender its sovereignty or become a colony of the superpower.
Indeed, there will be many on the Left who believe, for ideological reasons, that we should adopt a hostile stance towards the US. Such individuals exist both inside and outside Ramaphosa’s ANC; they might want to consider the examples of China and India, which have maintained their independence from the US while keeping the door open for co-operation where it benefits them.
While the Ramaphosa-Trump meeting may have underscored South Africa’s relevance in international affairs, it also alerted the global community to our outrageous levels of crime, including a murder rate that puts us among the world’s most violent countries and makes this a dangerous place for all, irrespective of race or social class.
It was no surprise that the “genocide” against white Afrikaner farmers cast such a dark shadow over the engagement, because Trump had telegraphed his intention to make it an issue — largely because a small number of South Africans dedicated themselves to disseminating this false narrative.
As was explained to Trump at Wednesday’s meeting, South Africa has a crime problem, not a genocide one involving white farmers being singled out for murder and land seizure. Perhaps those South Africans who perpetuated the genocide myth will now finally see the damage to the country and its people they have caused.
The government, however, bears the responsibility to take resolute steps to deal decisively with the rampant criminality plaguing our society, which damages our economy, the welfare of our citizens, and our image on the world stage.
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