KwaMaphumulo, KZN – 3 June 2025
Former South African President Jacob Zuma has launched a scathing attack on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent diplomatic outreach to the United States, warning that the country should not outsource its problems to foreign powers.
Addressing a crowd of MK Party supporters at a gathering in KwaMaphumulo, KwaZulu-Natal, over the weekend, Zuma dismissed Ramaphosa’s Washington visit as a “sign of desperation” and a betrayal of South Africa’s sovereignty.
“We refuse to have our problems fixed by the US we don’t even know,” Zuma declared to loud applause. “Our country is ours to fix. Not theirs.”
Ramaphosa travelled to Washington last week accompanied by senior cabinet ministers and diplomats in a bid to restore relations with the US, which have remained strained since the Trump era due to disagreements over land reform, affirmative action, and accusations of discrimination against white minorities.
The diplomatic thaw follows renewed lobbying by right-wing groups such as AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement, who have repeatedly claimed that white Afrikaners are facing “systematic marginalisation” under ANC-led policies — accusations the South African government has denounced as inflammatory and untrue.
However, tensions flared dramatically during the high-level meetings when former US President Donald Trump, reportedly still exerting influence within Republican-aligned policy circles, interrupted the proceedings in the Oval Office to screen a short documentary alleging “ongoing genocide” in South Africa. According to sources close to the delegation, Trump asked aides to dim the lights and “watch this real quick,” shocking South African officials who viewed the move as provocative and steeped in propaganda.
Despite the awkward moment, Ramaphosa’s team reportedly pushed back firmly, rejecting the genocide claims and instead requesting US cooperation on advanced crime-fighting technologies and joint intelligence efforts to tackle South Africa’s growing violent crime rates.
Back home, however, Zuma used the incident to further criticize Ramaphosa’s administration, framing the trip as an abandonment of national dignity in favour of appeasing Western powers.
“Why must we run to beg from those who were never there during our struggle?” Zuma asked rhetorically. “This is not leadership — this is surrender.”
Zuma’s remarks signal a deepening rift within South Africa’s political landscape ahead of the looming national elections, with his MK Party drawing support from disenfranchised ANC voters and rural communities. His populist rhetoric continues to resonate, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, where dissatisfaction with Ramaphosa’s leadership remains high.
The Presidency has not yet issued a formal response to Zuma’s remarks.