TRUMP KYKED SA'S CYRIL MIS

AMERICAN President Donald Trump snubbed South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa at the G7 Summit in Canada, sparking speculation about the reason behind the cold shoulder.

However, Trump left before meeting his South African counterpart, who also concluded his working visit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on Tuesday night.

Sources and experts wysed the snub was due to the war between Iran and Israel, which started days before the summit.

Iran is now part of BRICS, of which South Africa plays a major role.

The two leaders did not meet as expected, as Ramaphosa was seeking answers from Trump on trade agreements, including the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and US-SA tariffs.

Trump has been vocal about his stance on the Iran-Israel conflict, hinting at the possibility of US involvement and warning Iran to consider talks with Israel to de-escalate the conflict. 

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said that Ramaphosa will continue to assert South Africa’s position in relation to Israel’s continued assault on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Magwenya said: “For some time now, President Ramaphosa has been quite consistent in calling for the de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

“Part of that call was to ensure that this conflict that we’ve seen in Gaza does not extend to the rest of the region and one of Canada’s priorities for this G7 is this threatening of peace and stability... Now we will continue making that call that those conflicts have to stop.”

Ramaphosa, who was accompanied by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, was an invited guest at the summit as the only African leader.

The G7 consists of the largest advanced economies like Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US. Ramaphosa met with all other leaders on the sidelines of the summit.