Presidency hoping Trump will visit SA before G20 summit

The possibility of a meeting between the heads of state was a key topic at Wednesday morning's press briefing, which was addressed by the Presidency's Vincent Magwenya.  

"The conversations taking place are around issues related to PEPFAR, and the conversations that are taking place are around refuting some of the mischaracterisation of our country and the application of our laws. Ultimately, there will be a conversation between the two heads of state, but I can't give the timeline."

Trump this week threatened to cut off funding to South Africa after accusing the government of confiscating land and treating “certain classes of people very badly”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed his claims, stressing that South Africa is a constitutional democracy.

Magwenya said there would be more engagement, not only with Trump and his advisor Elon Musk but with other roleplayers in the USA.

He added that the Trump administration has misunderstood the Expropriation Act.

"Minister Macpherson will play a key role not only in leading that process but also in communicating the manner in which that process will be conducted. There is an element of public participation in the formulation of those regulations, which is another thing we have to explain to our US counterparts that in our legal framework, we do not have any provisions that allow the government to act arbitrarily." 

The United States is South Africa's second-largest trading partner. 

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