Simon Nare
President Cyril Ramaphosa and his US counterpart Joe Biden have both committed to working together to advance the special relationship between the two countries.
The pledge between the two heads of states was conveyed in a telephonic- conversations when Biden called to congratulate Ramaphosa on his re-election as president for the 7th administration government.
The Presidency in a statement revealed that Biden had called to congratulate Ramaphosa on Tuesday evening and the two presidents used the opportunity to engage on matters of importance for both countries.
“President Biden pledged that the United States will work closely with the 7th administration in South Africa on key areas such as economic growth, job creation, social development and climate change as well as South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 in 2025.
“President Biden confirmed that he will visit South Africa and participate in the G20 meetings,” said The Presidency.
Biden himself is currently engaged in a campaign to be re-elected for a second term and squaring off with former president Donald Trump who is vying for the top job for a second bite after he was toppled by Biden in the 2020 November elections.
The cordial telephonic conversations between Ramaphosa and Biden come at the back of strained relations between the two countries which were at some stage at a breaking point over the war on Gaza.
South Africa was regarded as a strategic partner of the US with collaboration on health, education, environment and digital economy, however, following the country’s unprecedented move to take Israel to the International Court of Justice, the US House of Representatives responded by calling for a reviewing of a bill to reassess the relationship between the two countries.
The US house also took exception to South Africa’s warming relations with Russia and China, two of Brics senior bloc members for whom South Africa is a member.
The bill read: “In contrast to its stated stance of nonalignment, the South African Government has a history of siding with malign actors, including Hamas, a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and a proxy of the Iranian regime, and continues to pursue closer ties with the People’s Republic of China (‘PRC’) and the Russian Federation.”
If the latest commitment by Biden to work with Ramaphosa is anything to go by, perhaps the tensions have cooled.
The Presidency said Ramaphosa appreciated Biden’s call.
“President Ramaphosa expressed his appreciation for this commitment and in turn extended an invitation to President Biden to undertake a state visit to South Africa. Dates will be confirmed by the respective diplomatic teams”.
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