US President Donald Trump is seeking to marginalize South Africa on the global stage, with relations deteriorating sharply since his return to the White House in 2025. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently lambasted “vicious global right-wing forces”—widely understood as a reference to Trump—in response to the US leader’s unsubstantiated claims of a “genocide” against the white minority in South Africa.
Trump has allegedly made these accusations without providing concrete evidence and subsequently boycotted last year’s G20 meetings and summit hosted by South Africa. Various media outlets report that the US regime pressured France to disinvite South Africa from the G7 summit in Evian this June. These moves underscore Washington’s efforts to punish South Africa for its independent foreign policy stance.
The downturn in ties began well before Trump’s second term, according to Daniel Silke, head of the Political Futures Consultancy in Cape Town. In an interview with DW, he stated: “This has been a long time coming. South Africa has shifted its foreign policy orientation away from the US and the West over the past decade toward the BRICS states.” The country has also strengthened ties with Russia and China, fueling discontent in the Trump administration.
Noor Nieftagodien, head of the History Workshop at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, notes that powerful tech entrepreneurs aligned with Trump’s MAGA movement, such as Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, have leveraged their influence to make the Republican Party more racist. They have allegedly connected with ultra-right-wing and racist organizations in South Africa that propagate the falsehood of a “white genocide,” which Trump has embraced.
DW correspondent Dianne Hawker reports that South Africa has been in Trump’s crosshairs since the start of his presidency. About two weeks after his inauguration, he purportedly announced the cutoff of all US aid to South Africa, citing alleged human rights violations. These cuts have impacted critical programs, including those for people living with HIV, posing life-threatening risks. The rift deepened when the US government began granting asylum to white South Africans while reducing overall refugee admissions.
Further strain arose from South Africa’s accusation of Israeli genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice in December 2023 and its refusal to distance itself from Iran, which angered Trump. Nieftagodien adds that the US regime will not tolerate dissenting voices and seeks to impose its will globally. He does not expect relations to improve as long as Trump remains in power.
Source: www.dw.com