Ramaphosa prepares response to five US requests — Daily Maverick
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is preparing a response to a message from US President Donald Trump which, according to a diplomatic source, concerns five requests from Washington to Pretoria. US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III delivered Trump’s letter to Ramaphosa in Pretoria on August 26, Daily Maverick reports.
South African presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed that Ramaphosa would respond to Trump but did not give a specific timeframe. “I cannot give timelines. But it will be timely,” he said.
Washington’s five requests
Details of Trump’s message remain scarce. According to a diplomatic source cited by the publication, they include protecting farmers from violence, condemning the “Kill the Boer” slogan as hate speech, and repealing the law on expropriation without compensation.
The US is also raising, according to the source, the issue of requirements under broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) legislation, under which American investors must transfer 30% ownership in businesses to black South Africans. Another point concerns South Africa affirming its non-aligned status by distancing itself from US adversaries, including Iran.
In Pretoria, officials believe significant progress has already been made on these issues, and Ramaphosa plans to note this in his response to Trump.
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Aid and trade preferences
South Africa’s new ambassador to the US, Roelf Meyer, previously stated that Trump’s executive order ending US aid to South Africa and granting asylum to Afrikaner farmers would remain in force until Pretoria responds appropriately to the five requests. The order, signed on February 7, 2025, contains claims of an alleged genocide of Afrikaner farmers.
Meyer said he would focus on negotiations on these issues to find mutually acceptable terms. In March, Bozell publicly stated that the US was losing patience because it had submitted its requests to the South African government more than a year earlier and had received no response.
Ramaphosa’s response may also matter for South Africa’s participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act program, which provides preferential access for many goods to the US market. Last week, Trump signed legislation extending the program until December 2028. At the same time, South Africa’s eligibility for the preferences is being reviewed as part of the regular assessment procedure for all program participants.
The program’s benefits for South African exporters have already narrowed because of a 25% US duty on automobiles, 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum, and a recent 12.5% tariff. At the same time, the latest tariff exempted, among other products, macadamia nuts, oranges, tea, cane sugar, critical minerals, platinum group metals, civil aviation components, and pharmaceutical products.
