President Cyril Ramaphosa insisted on Tuesday that South Africa’s deteriorating relationship with the US had been “reset” following recent meetings with President Donald Trump, notwithstanding an uncomfortable Oval Office exchange that was televised globally.

During the meeting, Trump ambushed the South African delegation with a multimedia presentation purportedly supportive of his discredited claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa.

Ramaphosa made the ‘reset’ assertion during a scheduled appearance in Parliament to respond to questions for oral reply and in a specific response to hostile questioning by Economic Freedom Fighters MP Omphile Maotwe, who was eventually ejected from the house for refusing to abide by her allotted time slot.

“Despite what we could have seen on television, we were able to have a much more meaningful discussion and meeting with President Trump and his representatives [in] the quiet room where we had lunch together,” Ramaphosa said.

The decision to travel to Washington, he said, was motivated by three objectives, which he felt had been achieved.

The first objective related to resetting South Africa’s relationship with an historical trading and investment partner, where an ongoing deterioration in relations would have adverse consequences for companies and employment, particularly in the agriculture, automotive, steel, aluminium, machinery and mining sectors.

Secondly, the South African government was keen for a resumption of government-to-government relations, especially in the areas of trade and investment, and particularly in light of a threat that tariffs of 30% could be imposed on South African exports to the US once the current 90-day pause expired.

The third objective related to highlighting the importance of the US’s participation in the G20, which South Africa would host in Johannesburg in November, while also seeking to entice Trump himself to participate in the Leaders’ Summit.

“We believe we achieved those objectives.

“Soon after we left Washington, the engagement has now commenced and there are discussions happening in relations to tariffs, in relations to investment and we believe we have reset the relationship,” Ramaphosa said.

In his regular Monday newsletter, meanwhile, Ramaphosa wrote: “President Trump agreed that the US should continue playing a key role in the G20, including attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg later this year, where South Africa will hand over the presidency of the G20 to the US.”