President Cyril Ramphosa. (David Harrison)
President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed suggestions from Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema that the government was “grovelling” in an effort to reduce the 30% tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
Answering questions in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said the government was adopting a strategy of engagement, not submission.
“Without being supplicant, without going on bended knee, which we have never done, and which we will never do, we will stand as a sovereign country and get the best deal for South Africa,” he told MPs.
Malema accused the government of begging, describing the tariffs as “senseless” and calling for a more aggressive response. Ramaphosa countered that retaliatory measures could backfire, saying, “If one wants to play to the gallery, one could embark on the type of option that honourable Malema is talking about without knowing what outcome that option will have.”
The president said his ministers were “feverishly working the ground” in the US ahead of the next round of trade negotiations while also broadening South Africa’s export markets in Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.
“We will stand as a sovereign country,” Ramaphosa emphasised, saying the government remained committed to securing favourable trade terms without compromising the country’s dignity.
South Africa is set to host the G20 heads of state summit in November, a key platform for international trade discussions, although Trump has already announced he would not attend, sending his deputy JD Vance instead.
Ramaphosa also responded to a question on the controversial visit by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya, to Iran in August. Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane asked the president to clarify whether the trip signalled military cooperation with Tehran.
“We do not have any military operations with Iran,” Ramaphosa responded, saying Maphwanya’s trip had been planned almost two years ago. He did concede that its timing was unfortunate given current geopolitical tensions.
“I had a long discussion with him, and we both agreed that the timing could have been managed differently,” he said.
“Iran is one of the members of Brics. In fact, we held a Brics summit yesterday [Monday] online, and Iran was present, as were countries like China, India, Ethiopia, Egypt, Brazil and others,” Ramaphosa said.
“In dealing with Iran, we engage with them as a sovereign nation, just as we expect others to respect our sovereignty.”
On domestic matters, Ramaphosa addressed questions about the establishment of a state bank, reiterating that the Postbank was not yet in a position to receive a licence.
Responding to ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli, he said the struggling entity still faced “serious governance challenges” and compliance hurdles.
“Now, according to the minister, the Postbank has not yet fully met the conditions for a banking licence, particularly around its card and key management processes and the compliance with prudential standards that are required,” Ramaphosa told MPs.
He added that the immediate challenge was to stabilise the bank’s finances and strengthen governance.
Ramaphosa also weighed in on last month’s national convention — a precursor to the National Dialogue on the country’s problems — saying it had been a “great success” despite withdrawals by several legacy foundations from participating and concerns over its R740 million price tag.
“This is not the president’s dialogue. The people of South Africa called for the dialogue,” Ramaphosa told the assembly, saying the process should be citizen-led.
He said he had personally instructed that the costs be reduced and that the government would adopt a hands-off approach.
“Moving forward, the steering committee would take its lead from civil society, and the government’s only involvement would be to provide the money.”
Ramaphosa said it would not have been “prudent” to stop the convention because planning was already too advanced, adding that the decision to proceed was a collective one.
The oral question-and-answer session formed part of parliament’s oversight function, where Ramaphosa was required to respond to issues ranging from international trade to domestic governance.