Ramaphosa says SA will continue engaging the US despite new restrictions

President Ramaphosa says Pretoria remains willing to negotiate with Washington despite the latest restrictions, while revealing that talks over trade, tariffs and five issues raised by the US have continued.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa will continue engaging with the United States despite new visa restrictions announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying the country will do so while protecting its sovereignty and dignity.

Rubio announced the targeted restrictions last week against foreign nationals whom Washington says are responsible for, or complicit in, policies involving uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination and the incitement of violence against minority groups in South Africa.

No individuals were named when the policy was announced.

Ramaphosa was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the ANC Veterans League fundraising golf day at the Johannesburg Country Club in Woodmead on Monday.

He said the government had taken note of the restrictions but remained prepared to engage with Washington.

“We are quite willing and prepared to continue engaging with the United States as we engage with all other countries in the world,” he said.

He said South Africa would approach challenges in its relationships with other countries without compromising its sovereignty.

“Where there are challenges, we will go in with our dignity, with our sovereignty to engage with those countries without bowing our heads and treating those nations respectfully and expecting them to treat us also respectfully,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa said the US remained an important market for South Africa and that both countries had products they needed from each other.

“The United States is an important market for us and therefore, we are prepared to engage with them, to negotiate with them, to find a solution to the challenges that our relationship now has,” he said.

Ramaphosa said discussions between South Africa and the US had been under way for some time, including on trade and tariff issues.

He said the US had also raised what he called “the so-called five issues” and that South Africa had responded to a number of them.

“We've been giving them the response on a number of them.”

Asked what had happened to the discussions, given the latest announcement, Ramaphosa said he could not explain what had prompted the move.

“So I just don't know what happened. Only they can answer and say what exactly happened,” he said.

Ramaphosa said South Africa remained willing to negotiate with the US to resolve the challenges in the relationship.

“We also trade with them and there are certain things or products that they need from us that we also need from them,” he said.

“So that in itself should bring about the state of equilibrium. So as we deal with each other, as states that respect each other, we will find solutions.”