South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is visiting Washington this week to promote investment opportunities for Elon Musk’s companies and improve strained relations with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ties between South Africa and the U.S. have weakened in recent years due to disagreements over land reform and South Africa’s legal case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
The Trump administration recently cut funding to South Africa and granted asylum to a group of white South Africans, citing racial discrimination—an allegation the South African government denies.
Ramaphosa is expected to meet Trump on Wednesday. His team has prepared a trade proposal aimed at resetting the relationship.
One option being discussed is offering Tesla lower tariffs on imports into South Africa in exchange for building electric vehicle charging stations across the country.
The visit will also address the issue of Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet service, which is currently unavailable in South Africa. Musk has claimed the country’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) rules block Starlink because he is not Black. South African officials say the company has not applied for a license and would need to meet the country’s 30% local ownership requirement.
Starlink is active in 17 African countries but not in South Africa, which banned the import of Starlink kits in August 2023. Officials say the company must follow national telecom regulations to operate.
Ramaphosa’s delegation includes Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, who wants to protect duty-free access for South African farm products under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. U.S. tariffs threaten this access, and officials warn losing these benefits would hurt farmers and the economy.
