Cape Town: African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, said yesterday that, his government is actively engaging the United States, to secure a fair trade and investment deal, but emphasised that, the country will not go on bended knee in the negotiations. Responding to questions in the National Assembly yesterday afternoon, Ramaphosa told lawmakers that, South African government representatives are currently in the United States for further formal negotiations.
According to Nam News Network, Ramaphosa stated that the South African delegation in the United States is fully committed to a firm negotiating approach. He further explained that ministers of trade and industry and international relations will soon join the team to advance the discussions.
Meanwhile, the president stressed that South Africa entered talks with significant leverage, pointing to the country’s mineral wealth and processing capacity. “The discussions that we are having now with the United States also revolve around that the critical minerals that South Africa has, and the capacity that we have to process those minerals… something that we take to the table and use as leverage,” he said.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that the U.S. can be unpredictable and retaliatory, but expressed confidence that the strategy of engagement would deliver positive outcomes. “It is a strategy that we have opted for, a strategy of engagement, and a strategy which we believe will yield results, notwithstanding the fact that we are obviously dealing with the United States administration, that at times is unpredictable and that at times just retaliates - without being supplicants, without going on bended knee, which we have never done and which we will never do,” Ramaphosa said.