Zuma Slams Ramaphosa’s U.S. Trip as Misguided, Urges South Africa to ‘Stand on Its Own’
Former President Jacob Zuma has taken a swipe at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent visit to the United States, accusing the ANC-led government of outsourcing South Africa’s challenges to foreign powers and undermining national sovereignty.
Speaking at a uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party rally in KwaMaphumulo, Zuma criticized the May 2025 trip, during which Ramaphosa met with officials in the Trump administration to mend diplomatic ties and attract foreign investment.
“We cannot rely on Americans we don’t even know to solve our problems,” Zuma declared to loud applause. “We are capable of building our own country, our own economy, with our own hands.”
Zuma Revives Anti-West Rhetoric
Zuma’s remarks echo his long-held distrust of Western influence, a position he publicly asserted during the 2019 Zondo Commission into state capture. Now leading the MK Party, Zuma is leveraging this sentiment to differentiate his movement from the ruling ANC as political competition intensifies.
The rebuke is especially pointed given ongoing friction between Pretoria and Washington over contentious issues like:
- South Africa’s land reform agenda
- Its neutral stance on global conflicts
- And the ICJ genocide case against Israel, which has further strained diplomatic ties with the U.S.
A Sovereignty vs. Strategy Debate
While Ramaphosa’s U.S. visit aimed to boost trade and economic cooperation, critics like Zuma argue it reflects a misplaced dependency on global powers, calling instead for homegrown solutions to unemployment, inequality, and governance failures.
Zuma’s comments have reignited a national conversation around the delicate balance between international diplomacy and domestic self-reliance. Supporters see his stance as a call for economic decolonization, while others accuse him of populist rhetoric that ignores the realities of a globalized economy.
