POLITICAL WEEK AHEAD: Stakes are high for SA as Ramaphosa prepares to meet Trump

President Cyril Ramaphosa will head to the US this week for a meeting with US President Donald Trump in a high-stakes diplomatic tête-à-tête.

Their meeting is expected to set the stage for a series of bilateral trade agreements in various sectors, including agriculture, energy and transport. 

A three-member ministerial team — trade, industry & competition minister Parks Tau, international relations & co-operation minister Ronald Lamola, and agriculture minister John Steenhuisen — have crafted a trade package deal aimed at repairing relations, three officials familiar with the preparation said. 

The meeting comes amid mounting tension over SA’s policy choices and the US’s hardline response to these that has included offering Afrikaners refugee status after false claims by right-wing groups of racial persecution.

The Trump administration’s decision to halt international aid to SA, as well as health and climate funding, has had a negative effect on the country.

Adding fuel to the fire, Trump last week threatened to skip the Group of 20 leaders’ Joburg summit in November unless SA’s land expropriation policies were “taken care of”.

On Tuesday, the department of mineral & petroleum resources will brief the media on the government’s critical minerals strategy and draft Mineral Resources Development Bill.

The strategy outlines access to SA minerals deemed essential for various sectors, including energy, technology and national security. 

These minerals are often needed for specific applications, including for energy or the production of electric vehicles or semiconductors.

The strategy also involves actions to secure more supply chains in SA and foster investment in critical mineral industries.

It is a busy week in parliament, with the issue of illegal immigration coming under the spotlight on Tuesday when the portfolio committee on home affairs interrogates government on how it is dealing with undocumented foreign nationals in SA.

A joint meeting of the police and agriculture committees will be held on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of recommendations emanating from the state capture report.

State capture refers to the process whereby a group of politicians and businesses systematically exploited and manipulated the state for their own gain. This involved exploiting or weakening key state-owned enterprises, law enforcement and intelligence services, often through corruption and the abuse of power.

The portfolio committee on international relations &
co-operation is scheduled to discuss “traversing turbulent waters of US-SA relations and possible oversight approach” on Wednesday with the Institute for Global Dialogue.

Also on Wednesday, the public works and infrastructure committee will be briefed by the department on the progress made in reconfiguring the expanded public works programme into a viable and more sustainable job creation programme.

But the big takeaway in parliament this week will be finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s third try at passing the budget after disputes with coalition partners in the government of national unity over plans to increase VAT scuppered his two previous attempts.

Godongwana has to plug a R75bn revenue hole created by his decision to backtrack on raising VAT while trying to stay the course on debt stabilisation.

OmarjeeH@businesslive.co.za