Ramaphosa on boosting 148,000 jobs in South Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump was a success, and will go a long way to bolster the hundreds of US companies operating in South Africa, and the 148,000 locals who work for them.

The president noted that the United States remains an important trading partner for South Africa, and this was communicated clearly to Trump in meetings between delegations.

Ramaphosa met with Trump on Wednesday (21 May) amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

The Trump administration has been pushing against South Africa in a PR campaign focusing on allegations of discrimination and genocide against the white minority in the country.

The White House has also been pushing allegations of land grabs and human rights violations.

During an Oval Office press briefing, Ramaphosa and the South African delegation were confronted with video “evidence” of the claims, along with a pile of news reports about murders.

Many of the claims have now been widely debunked, including footage of “mass graves” which were temporary crosses erected as part of a protest, and reports of murder which were actually taken from the DRC.

However, in debunking the specific claims of targeted violence, the South African delegation had to admit that violent crime and murder, in particular, were endemic.

While the extent of violence in South Africa was definitely laid bare for all to see, the attempt to frame it as a genocide or something that impacted white people disproportionately ultimately failed.

Ramaphosa acknowledged the optics of what transpired in the briefing, saying that “we need to work together as government, business, labour and all of society to overcome our domestic challenges, including the high rate of crime, if we are to attract investment that advances economic growth and creates jobs.”

“As South Africans, as a sovereign and independent nation, we are always ready to acknowledge and address our problems, just as we are always ready to engage our critics in meaningful discussion,” he said.

However, behind closed doors following the awkward briefing, Ramaphosa told of a far more successful meeting between South Africa and the Trump administration.

A foot in the door for better relations

“One of the key outcomes of the substantive discussions we had with President Trump was agreement on an economic cooperation channel between the US administration and South Africa to engage further on tariffs and a broad range of trade matters,” Ramaphosa said.

“President Trump agreed that the US should continue playing a key role in the G20, including attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg later this year, where South Africa will hand over the presidency of the G20 to the US.”

Ramaphosa said the countries also discussed exploring new opportunities for companies from South Africa and the US in each other’s markets.

“We were able to update US officials on the ongoing structural reform process underway to improve the ease of doing business and facilitate a favourable investment climate.”

According to data from the US Department of Commerce, South Africa is home to over 600 US companies who employ around 148,000 South Africans.

The country also continues to be a tourist destination for many US citizens. Last year, close to 400,000 American tourists visited South Africa.

“The US is a major source of investment in South Africa,” the president said, adding that US companies continue to expand their investments here.

“We have extended an invitation to President Trump to send a government and business delegation to South Africa to explore opportunities for deepening investment and trade,” he said.

“Our two countries have everything to gain from working more closely together.”