PRETORIA, April 2. /TASS/. A South African delegation, led by Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Zane Dangor, attended UN events in New York and held meetings with senior White House officials, outlining the government’s position on racial policy and the law on land expropriation without compensation, according to a press release from the South African Foreign Ministry.
"The delegation clarified key issues and misconceptions regarding the government’s policy during meetings with the National Security Council’s Africa Director, the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, as well as representatives from the Treasury Department. We believe these dialogues will help refine the current administration’s understanding of South Africa’s position on critical matters, fostering a more nuanced perspective," the department noted. "These fruitful engagements will continue at various levels of government, in line with the February 7 Executive Order issued by the President of the United States," it added. The ministry emphasized that the South African government intends to act in ways that will prevent the country’s national interests from clashing with those of its strategic global partners.
Under the new administration in the White House, tensions have escalated between the United States and South Africa. On February 7, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order cutting off aid to South Africa, citing what he perceived as racial discrimination against the country’s white residents and the threat of lands being confiscated from farmers. Trump also instructed the US government to offer white farmers the opportunity to relocate from South Africa to the United States. Additionally, Trump criticized the country for filing a lawsuit in December 2023 with the UN International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. In response, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced plans to send delegations to various countries, including the United States, to clarify the nation’s approaches to addressing these challenges.
Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, persona non grata, calling him a "race-baiting politician who hates America.".