Ramaphosa's meeting with Trump expected to revive trade relations with US
JOHANNESBURG - He called and President Cyril Ramaphosa answered.
The President will have a crucial meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House this week. He's expected to correct the misinformation that's been spreading about a white genocide in South Africa.
ENCA reporter Pule Letshwiti-Jones spoke to Dr Zimkhitha Manyana, who is an International Relations lecturer at Wits University.
Manyana believes that the meet-up has a potential of strengthening trade relations between the two countries.
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Eyewitness News
10 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Trump says Hamas 'didn't want' Gaza deal as talks break down
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His special envoy Steve Witkoff accused Hamas of not "acting in good faith" in the negotiations that ended on Thursday. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim in turn accused Witkoff of distorting the reality of the talks and walking back on agreements that had been reached between the parties. Witkoff was looking to "serve the Israeli position", Naim told AFP. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas's terror rule, and secure lasting peace." Witkoff similarly said Washington would "consider alternative options" on Gaza, without elaborating on what they could entail. Netanyahu's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called to reinstate a complete aid blockade, occupy the entirety of Gaza, "encourage" its people to leave and re-establish Israeli settlements there. Mediators Qatar and Egypt said in a joint statement that the talks could still resume, describing their suspension as "normal in the context of these complex negotiations" and vowing to carry on with "intensive efforts" to secure an elusive breakthrough. 'CARNAGE AND FAMINE' More than 100 aid and human rights groups warned this week that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that a quarter of the young children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers it had screened at its clinics last week were malnourished, a day after the United Nations said one in five children in Gaza City were suffering from malnutrition. The leaders of Britain, France and Germany, in a joint statement Friday, said the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza "must end now". "We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid" and facilitate the "urgent" work of UN agencies and humanitarian groups, the European leaders said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday slammed the international community for turning a blind eye to the suffering of starving Palestinians, calling it a "moral crisis that challenges the global conscience". Guterres said while he had repeatedly condemned Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel, "nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction since." Israel has rejected accusations it is responsible for the deepening crisis in Gaza, which the World Health Organization has called "man-made". An Israeli official said Friday that air drops of aid would resume "in the upcoming days" and "will be managed by the UAE and Jordan". Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly said that parachuting aid parcels, which began in early 2024, was ineffective and cannot replace land access. Numerous Palestinians had been killed by falling crates, in stampedes or drowned trying to retrieve packages from the sea, before the operations ended after several months. 'IT'S A TRAP' Israel placed the Gaza Strip under an aid blockade in March, which it only partially eased two months later while sidelining the longstanding UN-led distribution system. Aid groups have refused to work with the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, accusing it of aiding Israeli military goals. The GHF system, in which Gazans have to join huge queues to reach one of just four sites, has often proved deadly, with the UN saying that more than 750 Palestinian aid-seekers have been killed by Israeli forces near GHF centres since late May. In Khan Yunis, in Gaza's south, Fatima al-Shawaf mourned a relative she said was killed while seeking aid. "I would rather we die of hunger than have anyone go to this trap that is killing our youth. It is a trap," she told AFP. The World Food Programme said almost a third of people in Gaza are "not eating for days", with tens of thousands "in urgent need of treatment". Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,676 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
The Citizen
13 hours ago
- The Citizen
Weekly economic wrap: local politics and US tariffs coming next week
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'Trump has said that 15% will probably serve as a floor for reciprocal tariffs, which means the UK was 'lucky' to have been able to settle at 10% early on. In addition to Japan, a deal was reached with the Philippines, with tariffs at 19%, in line with Indonesia and just below Vietnam's 20%.' ALSO READ: JSE All Share Index hit 100k points Oil and gold lower as risk appetite increases Bianca Botes, Citadel Global director, commenting on commodities, says Brent crude breached $69/barrel as markets cheered progress on a US-EU trade agreement, anticipating that reduced tensions would spur global growth and oil demand. 'Supply-side forces further bolstered prices, including constrained Russian exports and tighter diesel markets due to new EU import restrictions and talks of sanctions on Russian oil. 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Busisiwe Nkonki and Isaac Matshego, economists at the Nedbank Group Economic Unit, said the rand gained strength on Wednesday, trading at R17.55/$ against the dollar, as inflation increased slightly, suggesting the Reserve Bank (Sarb) may proceed with further interest rate cuts. 'Renewed optimism on the GNU also supported the local unit. All parties in the GNU supported the 2025 Appropriation Bill, dampening earlier fears of a deadlock after the DA threatened to oppose the bill if the president did not act against a truant cabinet minister. 'However, the local unit surrendered some of the gains this morning to trade around R17.77/$ this afternoon.' ALSO READ: Inflation still low enough for repo rate cut, but only in September – economists Inflation edged up to 3% in June as expected Inflation edged up to 3% in June from 2.8% in May, driven by food and non-alcoholic beverages that increased by 5.1% and housing and utilities that increased by 4.4%. The increase in food inflation was mainly driven by an acceleration in meat prices (6.6%) amid supply chain issues due to avian flu and foot and mouth disease, Tshepiso Maroga, economist at the BER, says. Mamello Matikinca-Ngwenya, Siphamandla Mkhwanazi, Thanda Sithole and Koketso Mano, economists at FNB, say they see headline inflation rising to 3.6% in July, as utility and food costs ratchet up and fuel deflation moderates. For the year, they forecast average headline inflation of 3.5%. Nkonki and Matshego also said the increase was in line with their expectations. 'The food price increases were caused by temporary restrictions on poultry imports from Brazil due to avian flu, some tightening in local red meat supplies due to new outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and the lingering impact of earlier floods on vegetable and fruit supplies.'
IOL News
15 hours ago
- IOL News
ZANU–PF warns South Africa against US sanctions and Trump's influence
Zimbabwe's ruling party has come out strongly against a proposed US bill that could sanction ANC leaders, urging South Africa to stay firm and resist foreign intimidation. Image: AFP Zimbabwe's ruling party (ZANU–PF) says South Africa should not be intimidated by a proposed US bill that could empower President Donald Trump with 'superpowers' to impose sanctions on African National Congress (ANC) leaders. ZANU–PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said the United States should not "misdirect itself" in its diplomatic relations with South Africa. 'These issues could be resolved without resorting to sanctions. But if America decides to go its own way, so be it - we've had over two decades of experience dealing with sanctions,' Mutsvangwa said. He made the comments on Friday at the ANC's 2025 Liberation Movements Summit in Kempton Park. He said the US' previous sanctions on Zimbabwe had not derailed the country's progress. 'They have not stopped Zimbabwe from making progress. On the contrary, we are now potentially the most dynamic economy on the African continent,' Mutsvangwa told Newzroom Afrika. 'Who would have thought that Zimbabwe would now be developing a third-world steel industry - one that even America might look at with a bit of jealousy?' Last year, the US imposed sanctions on Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, accusing him of serious human rights violations after his disputed victory in the 2023 elections. Relations between Washington and Harare have been strained for more than 20 years. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The US initially imposed economic and travel sanctions on Zimbabwe in the early 2000s, targeting the late President Robert Mugabe and several senior government officials, accusing them of eroding democratic principles. However, on March 4, 2024, former President Joe Biden officially ended the US sanctions program against Zimbabwe, lifting restrictions on all previously sanctioned individuals, entities, and assets under that policy. He encouraged South Africa to view the situation from a more optimistic perspective. 'Don't worry about being pushed around by superpowers. We've travelled that road before. We share experiences, and we have the resources anyway,' he added. This comes after reports that the US Congressman Ronny Jackson introduced the US and South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025, a bill that could sanction ANC leaders for allegedly supporting US adversaries, including China, Russia and Iran. On Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the issue while visiting BMW South Africa. 'We've heard what has happened in the House Committee, but the process still has a long way to go,' Ramaphosa said. 'Our bilateral dealings and engagements with the United States will continue, and we'll talk about all manner of things - including this issue.' Ramaphosa added that South Africa values its diplomatic relations with the US and hopes to strengthen them through continued dialogue. 'We are very positive that the outcome of our engagements with the United States will be comprehensive and all-encompassing, so we can return to good deals with the United States,' he said. IOL News previously reported that the ANC said it is pinning its hopes on Democrats in the US Congress, particularly those who supported the anti-apartheid movement, to block the bill. 'There are many Democrats, including those who were part of the anti-apartheid movements, who will stand up to caution Americans against supporting a president who wants to censor and undermine the sovereignty of other nations,' said ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri. Bengu-Motsiri said the ANC will vigorously oppose any attempt to isolate it through renewed sanctions. 'Remember, we come from a history where sanctions were imposed against the apartheid system,' she said. 'The ANC was also isolated by countries that worked closely with the apartheid regime, including the United States.' The bill, which was passed through the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees, will now be presented before the full US House of Representatives for a vote. IOL Politics
