
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to discuss business opportunities for Elon Musk’s companies during a visit to Washington this week, as part of efforts to repair strained relations with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump has criticized South Africa during his second term, particularly over its land reform policy and a genocide case against U.S. ally Israel at the International Court of Justice. His administration cut funding to the country in February and granted refugee status to a group of white South Africans, citing claims of racial discrimination, which the South African government denies.
Ramaphosa and Trump are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, with South African officials preparing a trade proposal aimed at resetting ties. One proposal includes offering Tesla favorable tariffs on imports into South Africa in exchange for setting up electric vehicle charging stations.
Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, confirmed that the issue of Tesla tariffs could be discussed. Additionally, discussions will include licensing for Musk’s satellite company, Starlink. South Africa’s telecoms regulator recently stated that Starlink had not applied for a license, despite Musk’s previous claims that the company’s operations were blocked due to his race, a claim refuted by South African officials.
Ramaphosa’s visit also includes South Africa’s Agriculture Minister, John Steenhuisen, who aims to secure trade benefits for South African farmers. Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, South African agricultural exports currently enjoy duty-free access to the U.S. market. However, the tariff regime under Trump’s administration poses a risk to these benefits, which Steenhuisen warned could have severe consequences for the country’s farmers and economy.