Announcement of the Sept. 16 visit comes on the heels of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to South Africa last month, in which he said the Biden administration sees Africa\u2019s 54 nations as \u201cequal partners\u201d in tackling global problems.<\/p>\n
But the administration has been disappointed that South Africa and much of the continent have declined to follow the U.S. in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
South Africa abstained in a United Nations vote to condemn Russia’s action, and Ramaphosa has avoided any criticism of Russia and instead has called for a mediated peace.<\/p>\n
Biden and Ramaphosa, who spoke by phone in April, are expected to focus their talks on trade and investment, infrastructure, climate and energy, public health and South Africa\u2019s leading role on the continent, officials said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two Presidents will reaffirm the importance of our enduring partnership, and discuss our work together to address regional and global challenges,\u201d White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement announcing this month’s meeting.<\/p>\n
Biden also plans to host a U.S.-Africa leaders summit in December.<\/p>\n
During the Blinken visit, Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor maintained South Africa\u2019s neutrality on the Ukraine war. In a press briefing following the meeting, Pandor accused the U.S. and other Western powers of focusing on the Ukraine conflict to the detriment of other international issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should be equally concerned at what is happening to the people of Palestine, as we are with what is happening to the people of Ukraine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Blinken for his part underscored that Russia\u2019s blockade of Ukraine\u2019s Black Sea ports has led to scarcities in grain, cooking oil and fertilizer \u2014 an issue that has had disproportionate impact on Africans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe U.S. is there for African countries in this unprecedented crisis, because that\u2019s what partners do for each other,\u201d Blinken said. \u201cThe United States will not dictate Africa\u2019s choices, and neither should anyone else. The right to make these choices belongs to Africans, and Africans alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s neutral position is largely because of the support the Soviet Union gave during the Cold War era to Ramaphosa\u2019s African National Congress in its fight to end apartheid, South Africa\u2019s regime of repression against the Black majority that ended in 1994. South Africa is seen as a leader of the several African countries that will not side against Russia.<\/p>\n
The Biden meeting will come at a critical time for Ramaphosa, who is facing criticism from opposition parties and from within his own party for a scandal over revelations that $4 million was stolen from his cattle ranch.<\/p>\n
He has been grilled this week by members of Parliament about whether the foreign cash had been properly registered with South Africa\u2019s financial authorities and why he did not immediately report the theft. The scandal has damaged Ramaphosa\u2019s reputation as a leader committed to battling his nation’s rampant corruption.<\/p>\n
Ramaphosa faces significant opposition in his efforts to be reelected as the leader of his party at a conference in December. If he fails to win the party leadership he won\u2019t be able to stand for reelection as South Africa\u2019s president in 2024.<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s economy has been in recession since even before the COVID-19 pandemic and has unemployment of 34%, so Ramaphosa would welcome any announcement of economic support from the U.S.<\/p>\n
During Blinken’s visit to South Africa last month, he praised South Africa and Ramaphosa for achieving a multi-racial democracy after years of white minority rule. He also used the visit to formally launch a new U.S. strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Joe Biden will meet with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa this month, the White House announced Thursday, as the administration looks to draw African nations closer to the U.S. at a time when South Africa and many of its neighbors have staked out neutral ground on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":15976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,15],"tags":[7,26,25],"class_list":{"0":"post-15979","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-politics","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-politics"},"yoast_head":"\n