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S/African President Meets Trump Over Rising Tensions

Published

1 year ago

May 15, 2025

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington next week at a time of strained ties between the two countries, Pretoria said in a statement released late on Wednesday.

Tensions have been rising for months over a range of policy issues, culminating this week in the United States resettling a first group of white Afrikaners that Trump claims are facing “persecution” in South Africa.

“On Wednesday, 21 May 2025, President Ramaphosa will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of interest,” Ramaphosa’s office said.

The visit “provides a platform to reset the strategic relationship between the two countries”, it said.

The US administration has torn into various South African policies, including its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and a land expropriation law meant to redress historical inequalities that Washington alleges will allow the government to seize white-owned land.

Trump essentially halted refugee arrivals after taking office but is making an exception for the Afrikaners — mainly descendants of Dutch settlers to South Africa — despite Pretoria’s insistence that they do not face persecution in their homeland.

White South Africans, who make up 7.3 percent of the population, generally enjoy a higher standard of living than the black majority of the country.

Washington cut aid to South Africa and in March expulsed Pretoria’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, after he criticised Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement in an online seminar.

Pretoria has said Trump’s claims are “entirely politically motivated and designed to question South Africa’s constitutional democracy”.

Following the arrival of a first group of 49 Afrikaners in the US on Monday, South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile said Trump had been “lied to”.

“There’s no genocide here. We are beautiful, happy people, black and white working and living together,” he told journalists, adding that Ramaphosa would “invite President Trump” to visit “our beautiful country”.

Trade discussions should also be expected from Ramaphosa’s “working visit” to the US, which will last from Monday to Thursday.

The US is South Africa’s second-biggest trade partner but Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs in April — now paused for 90 days — has ignited fears for key sectors, including the automobile industry and citrus production.

jcb/gil

Related Topics:#Trump #US Ramaphosa South Africa

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Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

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Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

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US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.