Cosatu says Ramaphosa’s US delegation made SA proud

Team South Africa in a strategic briefing meeting ahead of President, Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the White House in Washington DC

2 minutes

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) says the South African delegation that President Cyril Ramaphosa led to the United States (US) has made the country proud.

After US President Donald Trump played a video showing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema chanting “kill the boer”, Ramaphosa responded that it was not the view of the government.

Trump also showed him images of what he said were farm attack victims to support his earlier allegation of white genocide.

Ramaphosa said he hoped his delegation could convince Trump that the genocide claims were false.

Cosatu President Zingiswa Losi who was part of the delegation says, “We had to find the way of changing the narrative that is out there after we were shown rally videos of the EFF and all of that. So, we had a responsibility also to counter that narrative, that this is the image of South Africa, against farmers or white people.”

Losi adds, “So, I want to take that criticism that we been given more time, one would’ve easily gone even further but it was not scripted, it was at the moment that the President said to me, can you also say something. I had to think on top of my head, to quickly raise issues, before I was told my time is up.”