By Johnathan Paoli
The much-anticipated diplomatic meeting between US President Donald Trump and President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House opened with a rocky start on Wednesday.
Trump insisted that conditions were deteriorating for white South Africans, spotlighting Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema in a surprise video presentation.
Originally framed as an opportunity to “reset” trade and diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Oval Office encounter took a confrontational turn, as Trump raised longstanding and widely debunked claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa, alleging that Afrikaner farmers were being systematically targeted in violent attacks.
“We have many people who feel they are being persecuted. I must tell you, Mr President, we have had a tremendous number of people [white farmers] who are fleeing South Africa, and it’s a very sad thing to see,” Trump said.
Calling for the lights to be dimmed, Trump directed attention
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