
SA delegation remains calm in 'genocide ambush' by Trump
These included videos and printed articles that were presented to the South African delegation in Washington on Wednesday.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and members present stood firm, denying all claims that South Africans were targets of a genocide.
Trump says that he stands against all genocide around the world; however, when Afrikaners seek refuge, he is concerned.
Fringe groups in South Africa, like Afriforum, have long alleged that white farmers were being targeted and killed. They have also alleged that laws like the Land Expropriation Act and the BELA Act are laws directed at destroying them.
The South African government has denied these allegations, saying there is no evidence.
Afriforum has, after Trump met with the South African delegation, denied that they supplied footage of the documentary played during the meeting. Afriforum's Kallie Kriel said they can neither confirm nor deny that they compiled the particular documentary shown during the meeting.
South African businessman Johann Rupert says that crime affects everyone. With crime being rampant in the Cape Flats in the Western Cape. Golfing legend Ernie Els says what South Africa needs is investment to deal with the country's social ills.
The US administration gave 50 Afrikaners refugee status. The group accepted Trump's invitation after he signed an executive order offering Afrikaners asylum in the country.
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The time has come for South Africa to pivot decisively toward other markets, especially those aligned with its economic diplomacy ambitions. The first option lies in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the single largest integrated market on the continent , and the largest globally by number of countries. With over 1.3 billion people and a combined GDP exceeding $3.4 trillion, the AfCFTA offers South Africa a natural and politically friendly trading space. Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, presents high-value demand for affordable, durable automotive products, especially among its emerging middle classes and youthful populations. Research shows that more than 60 per cent of the region's population is under the age of 25, representing a long-term demand curve that is not speculative, but empirically grounded. Yet, South African companies have been slow to leverage this opportunity. 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Its objectives are to integrate South African companies into key markets, attract strategic investment, and drive regional industrialisation. In Southern Africa, this approach has already delivered notable success, such as increased South African corporate presence in Zambia, Namibia, and Mozambique, particularly in retail, finance, and energy sectors. Now is the time to bring the automotive sector under this umbrella. South African diplomatic missions across Africa and Asia must be tasked explicitly with facilitating market entry, assembling policy frameworks, and brokering industrial partnerships for local manufacturers. This is not merely export promotion; it is the safeguarding of South Africa's industrial sovereignty. In conclusion, the Trump tariffs should not be seen as the end of a trade relationship, but as the beginning of a deeper national reawakening. The South African government must retool its economic diplomacy, its industrial incentives, and its regional vision. The automotive sector, in particular, must abandon old comfort zones and rise to this moment with the courage of imagination and the rigour of strategy. What is at stake is more than exports; it is the future of South Africa's industrial identity. * Zamikhaya Maseti is a Political Economy Analyst with a Magister Philosophiae (M. PHIL) in South African Politics and Political Economy from the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE), now known as the Nelson Mandela University (NMU). ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.