Despite not being invited to the inauguration, President Ramaphosa congratulates Donald Trump on his new role as the 47th US President, reaffirming South Africa's commitment to strengthening ties with the United States
Image: IOL Graphics
President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated Donald Trump on his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States, despite not being invited to the event.
Ramaphosa expressed his congratulations on X (formerly Twitter), stating his anticipation of continuing the strong and mutually beneficial partnership between South Africa and the United States.
Ramaphosa wrote: “Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on the occasion of your inauguration as the 47th President of the United States of America. I look forward to continuing the close and mutually beneficial partnership between our two nations across all areas of our cooperation.”
The tweet garnered various reactions from the public.
@nkulipp responded, “He didn't invite you. Why are you embarrassing yourself?” , @Ephraim_Snr shared a similar sentiment, saying, “Imagine congratulating someone who didn’t bother to invite you.”, while @Whipstick14 commented, “You told the man to ‘leave us alone,’ now you want to work with him... I hope the US investigates the Iran payments and links to terrorism.”
The inauguration, which took place on January 20, 2025, was attended by a range of dignitaries, but Ramaphosa was not among them.
In November 2024, the presidency confirmed that Ramaphosa held a telephone call with President-elect Donald Trump.
During the call, Ramaphosa congratulated Trump on his victory and reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening trade and political ties between South Africa and the United States.
Additionally, Ramaphosa expressed South Africa’s anticipation of hosting Trump at the G20 Head of State Summit in South Africa in 2025.
According to Anadolu Agency, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that South Africa looks forward to hosting Donald Trump at the G20 Heads of State Summit to be held in the country later this year.
In December 2024, South Africa officially assumed the G20 presidency, making it the first African nation to lead the group of powerful nations.
“The G20 is an important formation. Our economy may be small, but we are part of the G20, and we are punching above our weight due to our global positioning, as well as the strength of our economy and the positions we have taken,” Ramaphosa told reporters at the time
IOL News