South African President Cyril Ramaphosa found himself in an uncomfortable replay of history during a May 2025 meeting at the White House when former U.S. President Donald Trump dimmed the lights and played videos of EFF leader Julius Malema chanting controversial songs perceived as inciting violence against white farmers.
Trump, who has long claimed white South Africans face “genocide,” questioned why Malema hadn’t been arrested, putting Ramaphosa on the spot. The South African leader later joked about the encounter, saying, “People will say I was ambushed by President Trump again,”
The tense moment, which circulated widely on social media, reignited debates over Malema’s rhetoric and South Africa’s racial tensions.
Ramaphosa, known for his diplomatic composure, later in a difference event defused the situation with humor but faced criticism at home for not pushing back more forcefully.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa’s quip about being “ambushed” drew both laughter and frustration from South Africans, many of whom saw the incident as another example of their leader being put on the defensive by Trump’s confrontational style.
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