By Simon Nare
The South African government will be open-minded when it meets US President Donald Trump’s administration next week as tensions between the two countries continue to brew, according to Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.
Ntshavheni confirmed that following an invitation from Trump, a South African delegation led by President Cyril Ramaphosa would be in the US next week for bilateral talks and other issues, despite Trump’s public attacks on the government.
SA-US relations are at a new low following Trump issuing an executive order to resettle Afrikaners who he described as victims of discriminatory laws following the passing of the Expropriation Act on land. The US president publicly berated the South African government and withdrew funding.
As the first group of Afrikaners were settling in the US after they touched down in Washington this week, reports have surfaced that the White House National Security Council has ordered US agencies and departments to suspend work with groups preparing for the G20 summit to be hosted in Johannesburg later this year.
The Washington Post, citing two officials familiar with the matter which has not been publicly communicated by the US government yet, reported that the move followed threats by Trump to boycott the heads of state summit in November this year.
Ntshavheni told a post-Cabinet media briefing on Thursday that the South African government has not formally been informed about the reported instruction and had learnt about it through the media like everybody else.
She said the government was not fazed by the tensions between the two countries as the delegation was preparing to table trade deals with the world super power.
“In terms of our expectations, we are not going to the US on our own, we have been invited by President Trump. He is the one who made the public announcement that he is going to meet with us next week.
“So, there is no one who invites their guest to mistreat them. So, we are expecting the highest level of decorum and necessary protocol to be accorded. It doesn’t mean we will agree on all matters. We will differ but we believe that our relationship with the US is mutually beneficial,” she said.
Ntshavheni confirmed that the South African government would present a trade deal to the Trump administration, but said she was not at liberty to reveal its details.
She said it would not be proper for her to unpack the deal publicly as there was still going to be a diplomatic engagement.
“There will be a deal. We will offer a package. We will negotiate a package and that package will be a package that is also beneficial to South Africa. We can not work against the interests of South Africa and its people.
“We are not worried. We are confident that the invitation comes from a good place of engagement of clarification and mechanism of finding engagement. And that invitation comes because South Africa is an important player in the global forum. So, we expect a cordial discussion,” she said.
The minister said the Cabinet reflected of the departure of the first group of white Afrikaners to the US and maintained that the refugee status granted to them by the US administration was misinformed. It did not fit the definition of refugees as set out in the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.
She reiterated that allegations of discrimination against white Afrikaners were unfounded and did not meet the threshold of persecution required under domestic and international refugee law.
“Moreover, the South African Police Service statistics on farm-related crimes do not support allegations of violent crime or genocide targeted at farmers generally or any race group.
“Cabinet refutes the narrative by the government of the United States of America and remains open to constructive engagement to share a better and common understanding over these matters,” the minister said.
Ntshavheni refused to comment on whether more people would be resettling in America, saying the government’s role for those leaving was to ensure they were not indebted or facing any criminal charges. She referred all queries to AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel.
She also could not provide any progress on the investigations against AfriForum and Solidarity leaders who were being investigated by the Hawks for misinformation that allegedly led to Trump issuing the executive order.
“We all know that the reasons they are leaving is not true and as Cabinet expressed a view that there is no refugee, they do not meet the criteria for refugee status, there is no violence against farmers.
“And, actually you must go into that list and check how many of those people are farmers because the argument is that there is genocide against white farmers in South Africa,” she said.
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