Ramaphosa tells off ‘meddling’ Trump
By Nqobile Tshili
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has slammed United States President Donald Trump for meddling in his country’s internal affairs, telling him to keep his America as the neighbouring country has home grown solutions for its problems.
President Ramaphosa made the remarks following Mr Trump’s Twitter statement last week in which the US President said Washington would investigate “land seizures” and “large scale killing” of white farmers in South Africa.
South Africa recently resolved to conduct land expropriation without compensation but is yet to start the programme.
Addressing a biodiversity conference at Ha-Matsila village in Limpopo Province at the weekend, President Ramaphosa said he planned to make it clear to Mr Trump whenever the two leaders met that South Africa was a sovereign state.
“I don’t know what Donald Trump has to do with South African land because he has never been here and he must keep his America we will keep our South Africa, that is what he must do; South Africa is our land.
“South Africa belongs to all the people who live here in South Africa, it does not belong to Donald Trump; he can keep his America, when I meet him I will tell him.”
President Ramaphosa said it was astonishing that Mr Trump, who has never set his foot in South Africa, concerns himself with the Southern African country’s land issue.
He reminded Mr Trump of the genocide that was committed by his forefathers when they colonised America.
“He can keep his America and anyway he is even worse, when I meet him I will tell him. I will say you Donald Trump you are even worse because when your forefathers came to America they found the native, the indigenous Americans. They wiped them out, they killed nearly all of them,” President Ramaphosa said.
He said the divisive statements by the US President would not be tolerated as South Africa would shape its destiny without America’s interference.
“We are living as a nation. We are living as black and whites. We are going to find solutions for our land question. So Donald Trump leave us alone. He must leave us alone. When we were facing apartheid, when we were facing oppression, he was not here. He did not fight side by side with us,” President Ramaphosa said.
“And we were able on our own, yes with support of progressive forces in the world, to resolve the apartheid question. As far as I can recall, Donald Trump was not around the negotiating table when we negotiated the end of apartheid. So stick around there in the White House; we will do our business here and we will find solutions for our problems. So stay out of our issues and we will not get involved in yours.”
The Chronicle
