President Cyril Ramaphosa has departed for the United States and is expected to arrive in Washington, D.C., later on Monday. This comes ahead of a key bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday.

The highly anticipated meeting has been framed as an opportunity to reset the strategic relationship between Washington and Pretoria and draw the Trump administration into deeper engagement within the G20.

 Expectations ahead of Ramaphosa’s visit to US: Sherwin Bryce-Pease reports

While the visit will be seen as an opportunity to correct misrepresentations about South Africa as alleged in Trump’s sweeping Executive Order in February, issues around trade, tariffs and geopolitical concerns, including Ukraine and Gaza could feature prominently.

The White House custom has been to engage with world leaders in front of the world’s media, which could offer a riveting window into how these two heads of state interact face-to-face on issues of such sensitivity as alleged genocide against White Afrikaners who have been welcomed as refugees into the USA.

🇿🇦His Excellency President @CyrilRamaphosa is leaving for the United States of America where he is embarking on a working visit from 19- 22 May 2025.

The President will meet President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC to discuss bilateral, regional and global… pic.twitter.com/GhWJnCmaxr

— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) May 18, 2025