Ramaphosa Says US Midterm Results Could Reset Ties

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Democrats’ victory over Republicans in the US midterm elections could mark a shift in global relations and create an opportunity to improve strained ties between Pretoria and Washington.

Speaking to reporters after voting in South Africa’s local government elections on Wednesday, Ramaphosa described the Democratic victory as the beginning of a possible new phase in international relations.

He expressed hope that the political changes in Washington would encourage closer engagement between both countries on geopolitical issues, trade and investment.

“I do think that this group is going to introduce a new era in world relations,” Ramaphosa told reporters when asked about the Democratic result.

“We’re hoping that on a bilateral basis, there will be a coming together of minds where we will find a proper path forward on geopolitics as well as on trade matters and investment matters,” Ramaphosa said. 

The comments come as tensions between the United States and South Africa have grown over several policy disagreements. 

The latest development was Washington’s decision to remove South Africa from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a trade programme that provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with preferential access to the US market.

The exclusion of South Africa and Rwanda is scheduled to take effect on January 1, raising concerns about potential job losses in South Africa’s already struggling economy.

South Africa is the largest beneficiary of the AGOA programme.

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated over disagreements on race, trade and foreign policy. Washington has cut aid to South Africa, imposed tariffs, expelled the country’s ambassador and boycotted the G20 summit hosted in Johannesburg.

The diplomatic tensions have also been shaped by South Africa’s unresolved history of white minority rule and disagreements over its domestic and international policies.

During a meeting at the White House last year, US President Donald Trump confronted Ramaphosa over claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa, allegations that have been widely discredited.

Despite the diplomatic rift, South Africa remains the United States’ largest trading partner in Africa. More than 500 American businesses and about 30,000 US citizens are based in the country, which is the continent’s most industrialised economy.