President Cyril Ramaphosa has asserted that South Africa and the United States of America have a lot to achieve from working collectively.

The President was addressing South Africans by his weekly e-newsletter.

The President, along with a delegation together with Minister within the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and Minister of Worldwide Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, visited the US final week.

“South Africa has all the time regarded the USA as a powerful funding and buying and selling companion. 

“Our international locations and our economies are certain collectively in some ways. We went to Washington to determine a foundation for better financial cooperation and to deal with a number of the challenges which have not too long ago arisen in relations between our two international locations,” President Cyril Ramaphosa stated.

These challenges stem from a false narrative peddled by some that there’s a genocide occurring in South Africa and what the President known as an “orchestrated marketing campaign of violence in opposition to white farmers”.

“On this context, it was essential for us to interact instantly with the US administration to right misinformation and supply a real account of the progress we have now made as a democracy and the various and sophisticated challenges we nonetheless face,” the President stated on Monday.

Final week, police quarterly statistics revealed that during the last quarter of 2024/25, there have been six farm assaults – down from 12 within the earlier quarter.

The 2 farm homeowners killed within the assaults had been African. Just one white farm dweller was concerned in one of many assaults. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that regardless of these challenges, the 2 international locations additionally got here to settlement relating to the G20.

“President Trump agreed that the US ought to proceed enjoying a key position within the G20, together with attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg later this yr, the place South Africa will hand over the presidency of the G20 to the US,” he stated.

President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that whereas discussions had been held on that misinformation, the “overarching purpose of our go to was to deepen our strategic financial partnership with the US as our second-largest buying and selling companion”.

“The US is a key export marketplace for South African items, services, together with motor autos, agricultural merchandise and, more and more, essential minerals. On the identical time, we purchase many items and companies from the US.

“There’s potential to extend and diversify commerce between our two international locations in areas akin to fuel, mining and significant minerals, agriculture and nuclear merchandise.

“The US is a significant supply of funding in South Africa. There are over 600 US corporations, many with a long-established presence right here, who proceed to broaden their investments,” he famous.

On the financial tariffs that the US has been touting for international locations everywhere in the world, President Ramaphosa revealed that the 2 international locations agreed on an “financial cooperation channel” between the 2 international locations in a bid to “have interaction additional on tariffs and a broad vary of commerce issues”.

“We additionally mentioned exploring new alternatives for corporations from South Africa and the US in one another’s markets. We had been in a position to replace US officers on the continuing structural reform course of underway to enhance the benefit of doing enterprise and facilitate a beneficial funding local weather.

“We’re working from a agency base. Final yr’s nation Funding Local weather Summit revealed by the US State Division highlights South Africa being a sexy funding hub, citing key elements akin to deep and well-regulated capital markets, strengths in manufacturing secure establishments, an unbiased judiciary and strong authorized sector, respect for the rule of regulation, a mature monetary and companies sector, and skilled native companions.

“We now have prolonged an invite to President Trump to ship a authorities and enterprise delegation to South Africa to discover alternatives for deepening funding and commerce,” he stated.

The President reaffirmed that cooperation between the 2 international locations “stays firmly in place greater than 30 years later”. 

“Our profitable working go to to the US reaffirmed the significance of protecting the channels of dialogue open. The willingness of the US to interact with South Africa on resetting our relationship is testomony to the power of the bilateral relationship.

“As South Africans, as a sovereign and unbiased nation, we’re all the time able to acknowledge and handle our issues, simply as we’re all the time prepared to interact our critics in significant dialogue.

“We’re happy that our go to to Washington established a foundation for better engagement and cooperation. Our two international locations have every part to achieve from working extra intently collectively,” President Cyril Ramaphosa concluded.