Mbalula: Ramaphosa Oval Office talks 'mission accomplished'

Speaking to SABC News, Mbalula said Ramaphosa must be commended for defending South Africa’s interests in the face of widely discredited allegations from the Trump administration, which has accused the country of allowing the mass killing of white farmers, a claim South Africa has consistently rejected.

The meeting, held at the White House, comes amid growing tensions between Pretoria and Washington over domestic and foreign policy differences. 

According to Mbalula, the engagement represents a turning point in efforts to reopen formal diplomatic communication between the two nations.

“The diplomatic channels, proper channels of engagement, will actually be opened up from yesterday. So, it was a great achievement for South Africa and the president, and his delegation took the right decision, which we as the ANC supported right from the outset,” Mbalula said.

During the meeting, Trump presented newspaper clippings and a video of EFF leader Julius Malema chanting “Kill the Boer” as so-called evidence of targeted killings in South Africa. 

Mbalula rejected these claims outright, saying Trump lacked an understanding of the difference between ordinary crime and genocide.

“The way I understood, the president (Cyril Ramaphosa) didn’t go to argue a case because he knew that is not true and it was upon President Trump to justify where does this thing come from. We now know where does it come from – it is from nowhere, it just unsubstantiated,” he said.

Mbalula also criticised retired golf legend Gary Player, a longtime friend of Trump, accusing him of spreading negative and false narratives about South Africa to the U.S. president. Player did not attend the meeting.

Instead, President Ramaphosa was joined by prominent South African golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen—an intentional move to engage Trump, a known golf enthusiast, and attempt to soften political tensions through shared interests.

Mbalula also commended billionaire businessman Johann Rupert, who was part of the South African delegation, for standing with the president and speaking up to defend the country.

“It was good for the president to bring people who don’t only come from the political fold. We, as South Africans, we could see yesterday that there are people who love this country – patriots, in the best interest of all South Africans, who can stick their neck out and defend the country the way Johann Rupert did yesterday,” Mbalula said.

He emphasised that South Africa has never shied away from responding when misrepresented by powerful nations, and this meeting was no exception.

“What we saw yesterday was a movie, but these engagements have been ongoing. I knew that it wouldn’t be something like Zelensky, given President Ramaphosa’s character. He would not allow matters to get out of hand to that point. He will respect President Trump because that is his trait, and he acted, not to the surprise of many, he was not fake, he was himself – a tactician per excellence,” Mbalula told the public broadcaster.

He concluded by underscoring that Ramaphosa’s appearance at the White House was not about party politics, but about standing up for South Africa.

“The president didn’t go to defend the ANC. He went to defend the country,” Mbalula said.

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