WATCH | Ramaphosa spooked by ‘lights out’ Trump ambush – ‘It’s happening to me again!’

Trump

Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed he was caught off guard when former US President Donald Trump unexpectedly dimmed the lights during their recent White House meeting and played controversial videos supporting claims of white genocide in South Africa.

The videos included footage of EFF leader Julius Malema and images of white farmer burial sites.

Speaking humorously at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium in Cape Town on Tuesday, Ramaphosa joked about the lights dimming again and teased journalist Clement Manyathela — who was present at both events—suggesting it felt like a repeat of the Oval Office “ambush.”

“When I came in, I saw the room going a bit dark and for a moment I wondered, what is this? It’s happening to me again,” he said.

“Because at that moment we were seated nicely and I was beginning to get into the groove of interacting with this man. Then I suddenly heard him say, ‘dim the lights’. I must say a number of people have said this was an ambush and I was bemused. I was like, what’s happening?”

 Despite the incident, Ramaphosa described the visit as successful, emphasising the goal was to strengthen South Africa’s strategic and economic ties with the US and counter misinformation about land reform and violence in the country.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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