Sara-Jayne Makwala King20 May 2025 | 7:01

Zelensky 2.0? Ramaphosa braces for 'unpredictable' Trump meeting

Experts warn South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s White House visit could echo Trump’s disastrous encounter earlier in the year with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky 2.0? Ramaphosa braces for 'unpredictable' Trump meeting

FILE: President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: Phando Jikelo/Parliament

Zain Johnson, in for 702 and CapeTalk's Africa Melane, is joined by Dr Oscar van Heerden, senior researcher at the Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership at the University of Johannesburg.

Listen below:

Experts suggest it could be Zelensky 2.0 when President Cyril Ramaphosa meets with US President Donald Trump this week.

Van Heerden is among those warning that the meeting at the White House could well mirror the American leader's awkward interaction in the Oval Office with the Ukrainian president earlier this year.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has landed in Washington alongside a South African delegation that includes Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen, in preparation for a crucial meeting with Trump at the White House.

"... soon after Trump took office, he created a narrative about South Africa which was completely false."
- Dr Oscar van Heerden, Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership - University of Johannesburg
"He's not happy about the fact that we took Israel to the ICJ, and then he refuses to meet with the South African government... and instead his administration meets with right-wing groups like AfriForum."
- Dr Oscar van Heerden, Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership - University of Johannesburg

Van Heerden says Ramaphosa had no choice but to accept Trump's invitation.

"He has created a particularly negative image of South Africa on all fronts, and then he picks up the phone and says, 'I'd like to meet with you, Ramaphosa.'"
- Dr Oscar van Heerden, Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership - University of Johannesburg
"Of course, Ramaphosa had to accept the invitation, because relations are at an all-time low."
- Dr Oscar van Heerden, Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership - University of Johannesburg

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