Hello everyone, I am so excited to be bringing this conversation just to contextualize what is happening in the U.S. South Africa relationship and South Africa's place in the world. The problem is there is so much disinformation. and a lack of gravitas in how we conceptualize and frame And I think it's important understand otherwise it just becomes a global citizens who are not really participating Welcome to the Readiness Report. My name is Redi Charlie. Top!
In DC, it is a rainy, coolish day as President Cyril Ramaphosa goes to the White House to meet with his U.S. counterpart. He's not alone, of course. He's got the Trade and Industry Minister, Pax Dau. Ronald Lamola, there's the minister in the presidency, Cheveni, there's a business delegation, Adrian Gore is there, Kossatu is there. But I think the focus has been on three people. whom many of you say should not be there. Why are unelected officials accompanying the president?
You know you need to understand Donald Trump in order to understand that that question does not apply. He does not respect government structures. He does not respect diplomacy. All these formal channels and elections that you're saying are important and should be privileged above all else, Donald Trump doesn't respond that way. Think about it. His Middle East convoy is his personal friend, another property mogul, Vitkov.
And he has been so effective and so efficient. In fact, many people say he's more of a foreign secretary than Marco Rubio, who, by the way, has not been, well, he's not in this meeting, which is very weird. You know, this bilateral meeting is so central to Marco Rubio's portfolio, but he's not there, while his counterpart on our side, Ronald Lamola, is. So Donald Trump responds to power. He responds to personal relationships, leverage. And the fact of the matter is that
We have not been given an audience as South Africa in the White House. Capitol Hill was closed. There were no amount of delegations and overtures were helping to open the door. The United States had blue Tiktus and word on Capitol Hill. I spend a lot of time on the Capitol. I go to a lot of think tanks.
and high profile events. They did not want to hear anything about South Africa. It all had to do with disinformation. That's the first thing. The ICJ case, they've got serious concerns and i wonder whether the delegation from south africa is prepared for questions on iran because that is their obsession they alleged that iran bailed out the anc that we broke international protocol because iran had been sanctioned
and that we are friends with countries that are deemed to be enemies of the United States. So we were not... going to be able to reach Trump. Okay? Even as I say, this has been a diplomatic coup for South Africa.
Mr. Ramaphosa is the first African president to come see Trump so early on in the presidency. The first one to come after a slew of acerbic, acerbic attacks on South Africa. Vitriol, public commentary that is... so highly charged so geared towards combat you have to understand that context and understand that the normal channels had been closed so how else
do you open that door? You leverage personal relationships. These golfers that you're all talking about, that they have no business being there, Ramaphosa and our ministers would not be there without Johan Rupert. who has been telling Trump that you know there are no violent lynch scissors is not
Okay, it's not true. And one senator described him to me as a true patriot, together with Ratif Hussain and any else, that they've been telling Trump, come to South Africa, come and see, we own farms, we own land, we've just bought land there. Come and see. You're going to be fine.
So, you know, just perspective. You've got your own rules in South Africa that you get elected, you're in office, you represent government. In whose capacity? I mean, I remember the brouhaha when I went to a congressional committee, which is perfectly allowed, by the way, in terms of the US system. But you all want this authority who elected you. Trump does not recognize those rules. He's upended to the global order. There's a realignment of relations.
Who would have thought that the EU and the US would be so polarized? That is the reality in which we find ourselves. He is appointing talk show hosts from Fox. to crucial ministries. Does that sound like somebody who cares about your government structures? And who is his advisor on Africa? Bullock. an African with Lebanese roots who is the father-in-law. of his daughter Tiffany.
So I'm just adding that so that you are au fait with how the Trump administration thinks and that your South African rules don't apply. Masat Bulos is the senior advisor for Africa. He's not a diplomat. He's not in politics. He's a senior advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs as well. And those are his business relationships. So President Cyril Ramaphosa and the South African delegation had to work with what was possible. They had to work with what they had.
in order to make this particular breakthrough. What is more important is not how this thing happened, it's not how this breakthrough happened, it's what will be spoken about at the White House. Let me tell you what's important. You have... an advantage at South Africa. stemming from the fact that the Oval Office Theatre where there will be some in-town media that is deliberately put there to strike a particular tone to get the drama in the same way that we saw with Zelensky.
With Zelensky, that's the first part. That happened first. The drama and the theatrics. And they achieved nothing. They did not have the private meeting with South Africa. President Ramaphosa is going to walk past a press pool outside on the gardens, on the lawns, so they can ask him questions. Then they go into a private briefing and that's where they'll talk about matters of trade.
any concerns that the U.S. has about the white genocide. And I'm sure at that point, President Ramaphosa can turn to Johan Rupert. That's another reason they're there. you know, at a thematic and emblematic level to be able to say, hey, you're talking about a white genocide. I'm white, I'm Afrikaner, and I own land.
and to then affirm what we all know the unacceptably high crime in South Africa. That is a reality. I also think it is... interesting that the conversations around the substantive issue involve our agriculture minister, our trade and industry minister. Minister of Cooperation, John Sternhausen, is there. You have Discoveries, Adrian Gore. You have the trade unions also there, just to show that we are truly a broad church. South Africa is an eclectic mix.
constituencies that all must align they have competing needs and it's not as easy to say just reverse your BEE laws without taking into account your inequality and so on so we have that as well Let me tell you what I find interesting about the US delegation. Marco Rubio is not there. I mentioned that before. I heard last night. that Marco Rubio is against the theatrics in the Oval Office. They will go there afterwards. He's against...
He was on the Senate floor yesterday. He answered questions from Ted Cruz and reiterated this whole white genocide thing and the persecution of Afrikaners absolute lie and he knows it. But the problem here is that, or what I heard was that he is cautioning against the theater. Remember when they were yelling at Zelensky and JD Vance was playing God Bad Cop and Marco Rubio just sunk in his chair?
So he knows that there's a lot of disinformation, but word on Capitol Hill is that he wants to be the first Latino uh you know the first latino president of the united states so he's playing the long game so uh just going back then to his absence there i am concerned about the presence of J.D. Vance, the vice president, who I don't think he knows how to smile and that thick eyeliner that he puts on his eyes.
And he plays the bad cop. He's the one who throws in the aggression, the words, the fire, you know, the rapid fire questions. So he comes there to play bad cop. Pete Hexeth, the Fox News commentator, defense secretary, known of course for not having a healthy relationship with the bottle and also being very quick to turn any situation into a boxing ring or a wrestling match.
He's going to be there and has no regard for protocol and he will say whatever it is that he wants to say. Of course, we've got Secretary Howard Lutnik, US Department of Commerce, Deputy Secretary Christopher Lando, US Department of State. Let me tell you what is interesting about him. He is against, he is a strident critic of USA.
something that so many of you think should be restored and so on. He's a strident critic and Marco Rubio is a supporter. So what should the messaging be? You know, I've heard some South Africans saying, The US must remember the AIDS deaths, climate financing, poverty. Trump does not care. He doesn't care about that. In fact, aid would be a swear word.
The South African delegation must leave that out. Does that mean we are jettisoning our values? We are playing to Trump? No, it means we are being tactical. There'll be a time to bring all of that once the relationship is on stable territory of firm ground. We are on a precarious balance here. And for the moment, my sense is that The matters of aid and educational, cultural exchanges, historic links and so on. These can just be left to another day. What matters now is to open that door.
so i mentioned lando so he is against uh all of that now the elephant in the room is the icj case south africa is going to be asked about that there is no doubt about it and what should be the answer i'll tell you what the answer is i wrote something down here for you the answer should be The matter has advanced. It is a trial.
I hear a lot of South Africans say they must pull the ICJ case. They can't. They can't. It's just too late. It is at trial. There are 20 other nations that have joined South Africa. So it's too late. So the message should be, yes, we have geopolitical and strategic differences. You are not happy with some of the things that we've done. But you're talking to Saudi Arabia, you're talking to Iran, because enemies must talk to each other.
So let's also continue talking to each other, given that there are so many trade elements. At risk here, there are so many trade issues, billions worth of trade are at stake. a senator told me that south africa must just come with a plan lead a greedy Trump to the Garden of Eden or Canaan. Give him something because he's into reciprocal relations. He believes that the United States is overpaying and taking care of everybody and this and that and this.
So you need to demonstrate to him that the Lobito corridor that you are busy working on and pumping billions into Angola, Zambia, the mineral routes to get raw materials to America, the materials that you need for your military, for your tech, for your innovation, you're not going to be able to have the same commercial and strategic impact without South Africa. Whatever our problems, we are the most infrastructure savvy. Well, no, let me put it this way.
We are the strongest economy in the region. We've got well established financial and services system. There's a lot that South Africa can offer the United States in order to add impetus. to its trade relations with other African nations. What South Africa needs to demonstrate is that you think you are going after South Africa. You're not. You are destabilizing the region and then demonstrate what the United States stands to lose.
if it ups the ante and it continues to try to isolate South Africa. So that's important. And then, of course, Starlink, which has become a tool for U.S. foreign policy. the disinformation is that The government wants him to give 30% of his company away. That's not how BEE deals work, okay? People, partners buy a stake into that. They've got to raise capital and so on. The fact that the ANC government has been dismal.
in breathing life into our economy, in industrializing, in bringing far more people into economic and labor activity does not in any way validate the principles of BEE. You can't throw the baby out with bath water. We just need more scrutiny. And the ANC no longer has the majority. So it is under more scrutiny. It can't do as it pleases.
things have to be done differently. We've got historical imperatives, we've got domestic issues that are unique to us that justify some of the policy positions that we take. And it's important to mention that Elon Musk SpaceX also wants to operate, sailing wants to operate in your India, your Philippines, France. There were protest actions over environmental concerns. Other countries have had action, protest over ethical issues of privacy and so on.
have also told him that he has to partner with local players. So he's not saying that and his supporters in South Africa are not bringing that up, making it sound like the regulatory environment in South Africa is unique to South Africa. That is not true. I just want to say very, very quickly as an explainer.
that even if Cyril Ramaphosa promises Musk that we can bypass the regulatory environment, guys, that would be untruthful. You cannot promise what you can't deliver. You're going to have problems down the way. Because... These deals must meet the constitutional framework. They must pass the constitutional master. If he promises stuff, I saw opinion pieces that Sir Ramaphosa is caving in. Caving in on what? What are the granular details?
Because he can't agree to something that's going to be stopped in Parliament. You forget that you've got a robust opposition. You are in a GNU. You've got the EFF. You've got the MK. You've got all those people who will... any type of deal. And then, even if it passes, which it won't pass because the ANC doesn't have the majority, even within the ANC, there will be some opposition. If it goes to the Constitutional Court, it can be stopped there. So Trump and Musk and
J.D. Vance need to understand that kind of cerebral legislative requirement and it's not just about populism and Trump can identify with that because he spent time making some rules and executive orders only.
to walk back quietly he makes the announcement and signs very loudly and theatrically he walks back quietly because the law doesn't allow him so Cyril Ramaphosa cannot commit to anything that is illegal here in this country now i just want to say something else before i go because i've got to rush everything is just starting right now It is about, um... the choice of media that's going to be there. The South Africans as visitors, the courtesy is to allow a pull from the foreign side.
The visitors, the guests, so the South African journalists who are part of the presidential pool for this will be in the Oval Office. Remember what I said before, don't just focus on the drama in the Oval Office. If you are all glued to your screens to see what happens in the Oval Office, leave a modicum of curiosity. for what goes on in the cabinet room which is where they're going to start
That matters too. You need to not just be a victim of a short concentration span. The substantive stuff is in the cabinet room. So they'll move from that to the Oval Office. And guys, i hope i'm wrong but when i look at the type of media They're called the in-town pool. Those are the ones invited. You've got the White House press call. Anyone can come but some must come by invitation.
And the ones guaranteed to be in the front to ask questions, these are the ones who will be sitting alongside our South African journalists. You have the Boston Globe, a left-wing... credible news environment if you consider that they led the investigation into the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church and they were successful.
But you have SRN, which is a radio station in Salem, Christian, very conservative, right-wing. You've got real America's voice. And I think the problem here lies in the fact that they are a far right. conspiracy theory platform started by Robert Sieg. They're into that whole QAnon conspiracy. They questioned COVID-19 science. They are anti-vexers. and and so on so the choreography is is at play and you've got new media by
Fox News Digital, and then a name that should be familiar to South Africans, Braid Bart. Remember Braid Bart, Steve Bannon, who said that you must fill up the swamp or fill up they are clear out the swamp and they want to just change the establishment not be respecting rules kick out the establishment all that kind of thing but an interesting player in that is Joel Pollack.
who has been so loud in slamming South Africa even now, wagging the finger. And he started a rumor twice that he was going to be South Africa's ambassador. to i mean u.s ambassador to the united states and only the daily maverick in 2017 did a profile of him he was tony leon's speechwriter he says he was left now he's gone the other way
And then two years later, he starts a lie, a rumor that he's going to be South Africa's ambassador, America's ambassador to the United States. And what does broadcast media in particular do in South Africa? It platforms him, giving him an opportunity to just lobby for the position. Trump ignored him once again. He's been hosting Afri Forum and those kind of people, writing op-eds.
I don't know if he personally is going to be in the room, but Breitbart News is going to be in the room. So we need to see that for what it is, that it is about the optics, it is about the tone, it is about playing to the gallery. The last thing I want to say is that South Africa, I think the South African government has underestimated the acrimony on Capitol Hill. They've underestimated the interest in the Iran matter and they'd best be available to answer those kind of questions credibly.
So pay attention. See what happens with Starlink. Don't just go for extreme interpretations that Cyril caves in. We've got the law. Caving in on what? Or Cyril doesn't want to give up on BEE. How do you work it in such a way that there's accountability and there is transparency?
cyril brings in golfers those are the people who are going to open uh the relationship let's reset let's see what is possible let's see what the future holds but this whole we don't need the us we don't need china we don't need europe it doesn't work that way in the world We are moving to a multipolar world and the US is pushing us to that. They are withdrawing from so many multilateral systems. We ought to trade with each other. We have to refine our language, make it sophisticated.
see what is important, see that there are billions worth of trade deals that are at stake and let's see what we can do. It's not South Africa coming here as a beggar. As some quarters in South Africa want to say, they've flown to the United States. They want to be on podcasts here to continue. For a fact, I was told that there is a gentleman who is...
you know, busy making a noise about what a bad country we are. We're going to the dogs. We're going to be like Zimbabwe, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. There's none of that. That doesn't mean we mustn't scrutinize the government. The government must rise. and it must be professional, it must be accountable, but clear out the noise and focus. That matters. That's the readiness report.