The South African government said Tuesday that senior diplomats from the country have met with their US counterparts in Washington to address “misconceptions” that have strained ties ever since President Donald Trump took office.
According to the foreign ministry, the purpose of the discussions was to explain South African policy in order to help the Trump administration “position itself as a strategic partner.”
Last month, the ambassador from Pretoria was expelled as a result of the new US government’s dismantling of certain South African policies.
Trump also offered refugee settlement to the white Afrikaner minority, whom he said were being persecuted, and cut off financial help over what he claimed was an anti-white land policy.
“The delegation clarified key issues and misconceptions,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We believe that these dialogues will assist in refining the current administration’s understanding of South Africa’s position on critical matters, fostering a more nuanced perspective.”
The aim was for the Trump administration to position “itself as a strategic partner in a manner that avoids conflagration of our national interests against those of our strategic partners across the world.”
The South African officials addressed “misconceptions on what has been presented by some as race laws designed to undermine minority rights,” the statement said.
This included explaining a new Expropriation Act to show that it was not designed to facilitate unlawful land seizures, as alleged.
Billionaire Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, is Trump’s right-hand man. Musk has previously echoed far-right conspiracy theories about a “white genocide” in the nation.
According to the statement, the South African delegation also informed the UN General Assembly of the nation’s goals for this year’s G20 presidency, which is centred around the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.”
At the first G20 foreign ministers conference in February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to participate, claiming it had an “anti-American” agenda.
Additionally, the statement stated that the General Assembly “overwhelmingly endorsed the priorities and theme of the South African G20 Presidency.”
The second-largest trading partner of South Africa is the United States, and Pretoria is keen to maintain this relationship.
Some of South Africa’s foreign policies, such as its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the conflict in Gaza, are the subject of other disputes between them.
