Bushwhacked …is the one solution to describe how POTUS Donald Trump “Zelensky’ed” Cyril Ramaphosa and Workforce SA within the Oval Workplace final Wednesday.
The phrase goes again to the nice ol’ cowboy days of the wild wild west, when bushwhacking was a standard type of guerrilla warfare (and stagecoach theft) – notably throughout the American Civil Battle when Accomplice irregulars took to the woods for canopy, from the place they launched well-coordinated shock assaults on the army.
Within the “land of the free, house of the courageous”, the phrase has develop into synonymous with…
‘AMBUSHED!’
Which is precisely what dozens of MSM headlines are screaming proper now, in good sync, concerning the ill-fated Trump-Ramaphosa rendesvouz.
Nonetheless, “bushwhacked” might be extra becoming right here as a result of within the situation we simply witnessed within the White Home on Wednesday…those that bought ‘whacked’ within the Oval Workplace, in entrance of the entire world, are from the metaphoric ‘bush’…that’s S’Africa.
And…who noticed THAT transfer coming? I do know I didn’t. However then, when you consider it…it was a shrewd, strategic, apparent transfer – begging to be made. I ponder whose thought it was? Trump, the showman? Vance, the writer-producer? Musk, the mad scientist? CIA spooks? A Hollywood studio government?
Maybe the primary signal, or omen, that issues might go tits up and pear-shaped on the White Home assembly was the truth that Ramaphosa and Workforce SA…had been apparently half an hour late.
If true and unexcused, NOT a superb begin.
As soon as contained in the Oval Workplace, the meet-and-greet warm-up chinwags had been cordial and nice sufficient. Trump and Ramaphosa chatted and bantered about golf – and Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ok.I.S.S, MR PRESIDENT (KEEP IT SIMPLE, SQUIRREL)
Personally, I did assume that Cyril spoke a little bit too lengthy throughout his intro. He forgot that Trump has the flighty, mercurial, consideration span…of a five-year outdated. If I had been directing that roadtrip, I might’ve stored that intro and all the things else Cyril stated quick, candy and easy (and ambiguous) as potential.
Particularly if you already know rattling nicely that, developing quickly, similar to Lucy Ricardo…you bought some severe s’plainin’ to do.
Nonetheless, at the very least the dialog was well mannered, affable and mutually respectful, for now. There was, nonetheless, a barely awkward second when Ramaphosa needed to flip and ask his crew learn how to pronounce “respirators”. Which was kinda ironic…and foreboding…provided that just some minutes later Cyril could be trying like he desperately wanted one.
As a result of, ultimately…that large, white, Afrikaner elephant within the room…was going to make itself heard.
DON’T TAKE THE BAIT, CYRIL! (DAMN, HE DID)
The implosion fuse was lit by a (South African) reporter who requested Trump: “What’s going to it take so that you can be satisfied that there isn’t a white genocide in South Africa?”
Now, all Ramaphosa has to do right here…is preserve his mouth shut and let Trump reply that troublesome, thorny, controversial, explosive, unanswerable query.
As a substitute, earlier than Trump might reply, Ramaphosa intercepted. “Properly, I can reply that for the president,” he stated.
Eish…
There’s another excuse why that was not a good suggestion. Trump doesn’t strike me because the kinda narcissist who likes different folks answering questions directed at him. But when he did thoughts, he didn’t present it. As a substitute, he whispered loudly to the press, whereas playfully hiding his mouth from Cyril together with his hand, “I’d reasonably have him reply it.”
CYRIL DISMISSES ‘AFRIKANER GENOCIDE’
Addressing the reporter instantly, Cyril straightened up and stated: “It’ll take…President Trump listening to the voices of South Africans, a few of whom are his good pals and are right here, when we have now talks between us round a quiet desk.”
“If there was Afrikaner farmer genocide, I can guess you these three gents (billionaire businessman Johann Rupert, and champ golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen) wouldn’t be right here. My minister of agriculture (John Steenhuisen) wouldn’t be with me. So, it’s going to take President Trump listening to their (Saffer’s) tales, and to their perspective,” he added.
“That…is the reply to your query”, Ramaphosa concluded confidently, beaming a giant grin on the reporter.
AND THEN…SHOWTIME!
After hushing the rowdy press, Trump leaned in barely, and quietly stated to Ramaphosa, “Mr President I have to say that we have now 1000’s of tales speaking about it. We have now documentaries, we have now information tales. I might present you a few issues…and it needs to be responded to.”
Then, Trump referred to as for his aides to convey some articles to him, and requested for the lights to be turned down.
And that’s when the Workforce SA pleasure cruise went from easy crusing…to uneven waters…to white squall.
The lights dimmed. It was present and inform time. Or, to cite Beetlejuice…“Showtime!”
Then, Trump requested Johann Rupert to “put it on”. Rupert hit the play button.
And instantly, a frightening chant now acquainted to all South Africans and far of the world started to fade up; that now extensively frequent comp video – that’s gone viral a number of instances over – of Malema (and Zuma), together with 1000’s of their constituents, singing “Kill the Boer”.
THAT’S NOT A SMILE, IT’S A TERRIFIED GRIMACE
Properly, if there have been a couple of million or billion individuals who had no thought who Malema and Zuma had been…or had by no means seen that video earlier than…they had been simply introduced on top of things by the White Home. If Malema and Zuma had been infamous for these songs earlier than 21 Might 2025…Trump simply made them each superstars – in a Charles Manson and Idi Amin kinda means.
Anybody watching Cyril intently throughout these infinite agonising minutes, whereas that video performed, would’ve seen that he might hardly convey himself to have a look at the display screen. He simply sat there trying across the room, slow-blinking, visibly wincing, gripping and fingering the armrest on his chair, with a sickly half-smile on his face.
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Inexperienced later posted: “Why is the President of South Africa SMIRKING AND SMILING whereas President Trump performs a video of racist calls to kill white farmers in South Africa??!!!”
I don’t assume she realised it wasn’t a smile…or a smirk. It was a shock-induced, fear-gripped, purse-lipped grimace.
But when the Malema-Zuma macabre music video was Trump’s left jab to Cyril’s jaw…a proper hook to the nostril was en route.
THEN CAME THE CROSSES (THAT CYRIL’S ‘NEVER SEEN’ BEFORE)
On the finish of the video was a climan, if not most South Africans, have seen. It’s an aerial (helicopter) shot trying down on double rows of white crosses flanking a winding rural street, lined with a whole bunch of autos attending a memorial.
“These are the burial websites proper right here,” Trump stated of the footage. “Every a kind of white belongings you see is a cross. And there’s roughly a thousand of them. They’re all white farmers, the household of white farmers. These individuals are all killed”, Trump added.
(If he actually needed to rub Cyril’s nostril within the blood-soaked details, Trump might’ve lamented the truth that lots of the victims had been horribly tortured earlier than being murdered.)
HERE’S WHERE TRUMP GOT IT WRONG
Right here, nonetheless, Trump f**ked up. He claimed the crosses had been burial websites. They’re not.
As reported by ABC and different shops, that video exhibits a protest that befell on 5 September 2020, close to Normandien. In line with the native information outlet, Newcastle Advertiser, the protest was referred to as after farmers Glenn and Vida Rafferty had been murdered at their house within the space, days earlier.
Hermann Pretorius, a spokesperson for the Institute of Race Relations – who produced a video of the occasion – advised ABC Information: “These crosses will not be graves, they’re commemorating farm homicide victims”, he stated.
“They had been displayed quickly as a part of a protest.”
Pretorius stated the crosses had been eliminated afterwards.
I didn’t assume there was anyone in SA who had not seen these crosses on that street. Seems there’s at the very least one individual within the nation that hasn’t.
Cyril Ramaphosa.
NEVER HEARD OF WITKRUIS, CYRIL?
Cyril squinted his eyes on the video for a couple of seconds, then, showing befuddled and perplexed, half turned to Trump with out taking a look at him, and requested: “Have they advised you the place that’s, Mr President?”
Trump shook his head: “No.”
“No”, Ramaphosa echoed, turning again to the display screen. “I wish to know the place that’s, as a result of…this, I’ve by no means seen,” he stated.
(Hmmm…I ponder if Cyril’s ever seen or heard of Witkruis Monument? If he has, he didn’t point out it to Trump).
After a prolonged pause, Trump stated, a little bit too loudly: “It’s in SOUTH AFRICA, that’s the place.”
Ramaphosa turned away from the display screen and stated: “However…okay. We have to discover out.” Then he straightened his jacket and shifted in his seat, in a theatrical, business-like means that stated; ‘Ja, nee, sufficient of this. Let’s get again to parley, Mr President‘.
It didn’t work.
Trump didn’t transfer or flinch and even acknowledge him. His eyes had been nonetheless locked on the display screen.
All Cyril might do is stare on the flooring for a couple of seconds, then he shook his head briefly and briskly, as if attempting to wake himself from this terrible African fever dream.
(Return and watch that a part of the assembly once more. Discover a digital camera angle that captures Ramaphosa head-on whereas they’re watching that video. And inform me you don’t see a person that appears like he’s simply been kicked within the nuts…by somebody carrying metal toe-capped jackboots.)
So, at this level, Cyril had the selection of constant to stare on the flooring, the ceiling, across the room on the judgemental faces obvious again at him, or…flip again to that darn, damning video and fake to have an interest – which was what he opted for.
‘DEATH, DEATH, HORRIBLE DEATH!’
Lastly, to Cyril’s seen reduction, the video ended. However Trump wasn’t achieved sticking it in, breaking it off and rubbing salt within the wound. Not simply but.
Subsequent, Trump pulled out that fats wad of articles that he referred to as for earlier, articles reporting on farm murders. He flitted by means of them in entrance of Ramaphosa, the press and everybody else within the room, holding each up for all to see. “Look”, he stated. “These are articles over the previous few days. Dying…of individuals. Dying. Dying. Dying. Horrible demise. Dying.”
When Trump was lastly achieved waving these terrible pictures round, Cyril furtively tried to elucidate himself and the state of affairs in SA. Trump didn’t look too interested by what he needed to say. (And, sadly, name-dropping Madiba doesn’t seem to have fairly the load and gravitas that it used to, say…again within the 90s? And don’t assume Cyril didn’t strive.)
Whereas Cyril was scrambling to do harm management with verbal diarrhoea, Trump gathered up all these articles and dumped the bundle in Cyril’s fingers whereas he was speaking.
Fairly the symbolic transfer, huh? “All that blood’s on your fingers, buddy.”
DID RUPERT SELL OUT OR SAVE THE DAY?
If Ramaphosa hoped that his {golfing} friends, Els and Goosen had been going to dig him out of this diplomatic gap, he was fallacious. That backfired.
In reality, in line with some, it was Johann Rupert who “saved the day”.
As a result of he affirmed as soon as and for all what each South African is aware of…that there IS in actual fact a genocide occurring in South Africa, simply NOT solely in opposition to white folks.
It’s in opposition to us. All of us.
South Africans, “throughout the board” as Rupert put it, are being genocided by violent crime, wholesale, in numbers that rival a rustic at (civil) battle. (Twenty thousand plus murders a yr? That’s GOT to be a no-bullshit, hands-down genocide – in anyone’s books.)
Then once more there are people who imagine Els and Goosen are the true heroes of the day, and Rupert is a “traitor”.
A SEISMIC MEETING FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS
Regardless, what occurred in that Oval Workplace on Wednesday 21 Might 2025, was a politically seismic second that can go down in historical past.
It’s fascinating to notice that, in that total assembly (in private and non-private), Trump didn’t stress Ramaphosa or SA to drop the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ) genocide case in opposition to Israel. (Made all of the extra fascinating by Trump’s latest reported rift with Bibi Netanyahu.)
On his means out the White Home door, simply earlier than entering into the limo, Ramaphosa advised reporters the assembly went “very nicely”.
Wtf else might he say…
WHAT SAY YOU, SA? DID RAMAPHOSA’S MEETING WITH TRUMP GO WELL, OR TITS UP AND PEAR-SHAPED?
Tell us by leaving a remark beneath or ship a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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