Malema challenges Ramaphosa over meeting with ‘racist’ Elon Musk

Julius Malema has confronted President Cyril Ramaphosa over his meeting with Elon Musk amid heightened tension between South Africa and the United States.

Ramaphosa had been answering Questions for Oral Reply in the National Assembly in Parliament on Tuesday and the EFF leader seized the opportunity to voice his criticisms of the meeting.

Malema slams Musk’s views on South Africa as ‘racist’

Malema addressed Ramaphosa during the assembly and questioned the reasoning behind his decision to meet with Elon Musk.

“This is as a result of you having met Elon Musk during the UN General Assembly and knowing very well the views of Elon Musk about South Africa: Racist, white supremacist views about South Africa which led to you meeting him because you thought you were going to clarify those issues,” Malema said.

Malema accused Musk of being an unrepentant racist who went on to continue voicing negative comments about the country, despite meeting with Ramaphosa.

“Unrepentant racist became emboldened and then made more bad remarks about South Africa, even after meeting you physically. You still saw a need to go outside the diplomatic channels and make a contact with an individual, not using diplomatic relations or mechanisms within which we solve diplomatic disputes as South Africa.” Malema continued.

Malema doubled down on his criticism by accusing Ramaphosa of undermining diplomatic channels and the departments tasked with upholding international relationships.

“Don’t you think you individually emboldened white people to undermine us? And you have single-handedly destroyed the diplomatic relationships of South Africa with other countries?” Malema asked.

Ramaphosa’s stance on meeting with Musk

Interestingly, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya had earlier defended the decision to meet with Musk.

“The president is the head of state, and the president will always do whatever it takes to protect and promote the interests of this country. Elon owns the X platform, Elon has been part of peddling lies about our country, Elon is quite influential. As we all know, in the Trump administration, he is part of the inner circle. Therefore, the president will not have an issue to engage with Elon,” Magwenya said

Earlier, US President Donald Trump had placed restrictions on financial aid to South Africa and announced that the US would be working on a plan to welcome Afrikaners into the country as refugees in reaction to allegations of a racially charged genocide in South Africa.