South African President's visit to the White House: Pretoria finds itself in the illusion of geopolitical alternative due to asymmetric strategies of the USA and China

On May 21, 2025, a meeting took place at the White House between Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. One of the central topics of discussion, which also included Elon Musk and representatives from South Africa's political and business circles, was the issue of persecution of white Afrikaners in South Africa.

The escalation in relations between Washington and Pretoria during Trump’s new term resulted from the activation of the white South African lobby within the Republican political sphere.

Its informal core consists of members of the so-called "PayPal group" — Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, David O. Sacks, and several other entrepreneurs of South African origin.

The leaders of the PayPal group share similar experiences in high technology and a coordinated vision of global expansion for American business through the spread of digital services, financial technologies, and telecommunications infrastructure.