Ramaphosa of South Africa wants to repair US relations with Musk’s business campaign

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said Monday that he will travel Washington this week to repair relationships with U.S. President Donald Trump and will talk about economic prospects for Elon Musk’s firms.

During his second term, Trump has targeted South Africa, expressing dissatisfaction of its land reform program and its International Court of Justice genocide case against U.S. partner Israel.

His administration awarded refugee status to a group of white South Africans this week after cutting off assistance to the nation in February. The South African government disputes the notion that the group was subjected to racial discrimination.

On Wednesday, the two heads of state will meet. To restart the relationship, South African officials have also been working on a trade plan to offer to Trump.

Under the leadership of Musk, a close supporter and Trump advisor, Tesla (TSLA.O) would be offered favorable tariffs on its imports into South Africa in exchange for constructing electric vehicle charging stations.

“(It) could be one of the points discussed,” Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for Ramaphosa, added in response to a text message inquiry about the issue.

In response to a question concerning licensing for Musk’s satellite business Starlink, Magwenya stated: “Certainly, the issue will be discussed.”

The Washington Post said earlier this month that the United States had pressured some tariffed countries to accept Starlink, citing cables from the State Department.

Musk, a native of South Africa, has previously asserted that Starlink was prohibited from conducting business in his country due to his non-Black identity; however, South African authorities denied this assertion. A license application was not submitted by Starlink, according to a March statement from South Africa’s telecoms authority.

Musk’s untrue statement seemed to disparage local Black Economic Empowerment regulations, which mandate that foreign-owned telecom licensees give 30% of the stock in their local subsidiaries to historically underrepresented groups.

Among the team visiting the United States on Monday was South Africa’s Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, who stated his goal to ensure trade benefits for South African farmers.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act currently allows duty-free entry for South African agricultural products into the U.S. market. That is now in jeopardy, though, under Trump’s tariff policy.

Steenhuisen stated in a statement that “it would be catastrophic for farmers, farm workers, and the economy at large to lose these benefits.”