Things took a tense turn when South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the Parliament saying he felt “abused” by the opposition’s criticism only to be met with pushback about his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump.
In a video circulating on social media, Ramaphosa took to the floor to address his concerns and feelings of abuse after members pushed criticism on certain issues. Without hesitation, one member of the National Assembly of South Africa, Sinawo Thambo, took the time to call the President out for his lack of expressing the same sentiments during his headlining visit to Trump in late-May 2025. “You didn’t feel like that when Donald Trump was abusing you in the White House,” Thambo said while the deputy speaker attempted to call for order.
“Why didn’t you address the abuse in the White House but you’re abused by your own colleagues in South Africa?”
Thambo didn’t back down from his disdain from his leader, highlighting that he should have used the same energy while sitting with American dignitaries just days prior. “You were abused with this information in the White House and you accuse us of abuse?” the politician continued while shaking his head.
“No, no…”
The tense exchange comes after Ramaphosa visited Washington, D.C. to meet with Trump over his allegations of “white genocide.” South African critics were hoping for drama, however, Ramaphosa kept his cool while Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and former DOGE director and South African native Elon Musk accused the country’s leadership of targeting white farmers and residents, which resulted in refugees being welcomed with open arms to the United States.
Following the meeting, the President apologized to South African reporters who had traveled to Washington, D.C. in hopes of witnessing what he even thought would be a “Zelensky 2.0” type of meeting but received the opposite. One reporter claimed to be satisfied with the dramatics, while another said Ramaphosa deserved a drink.
Ramaphosa himself was ultimately preparing for the worst after the world witnessed what some would call abuse from Trump to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where Trump and Vance attacked him over the war in February 2025. “I know that many South Africans were filled with concern and fear that we will have a ‘Z’ moment,” Ramaphosa said during a press briefing.
On U.S. soil, Trump plans to continue his scheme of bringing in white South African refugees. According to The Independent, a new report from the State Department reveals the Trump administration plans to settle “thousands” from the African nation. A department official confirmed it has received close to 50,000 inquiries from South Africans interested in making the U.S. their new home. Officials project the numbers to surge “towards the second half of summer.”
