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Letter to Mahlamba Ndlopfu: This wasn’t just a diplomatic win, it was a geopolitical masterclass

Bhekisisa Mncube
By Bhekisisa Mncube
23 May 2025
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President Cyril Ramaphosa, you were calm, clinical, and quietly ruthless, and played the long game like a pro. You danced through the Trumpian chaos in titanium boots.

Ah, Chief Dwasaho! I wish I were a fly on the wall watching you, son of Soweto, hailing from the shithole known as South Africa, coming face to face with the former US Landlord-in-Chief turned 47th US President, Donald “Mr Tariffs” Trump.

Novice political pundits billed the match as the grand finale with a predetermined outcome: President Trump would pull a Zelensky on you.

For the uninitiated in geopolitics, President Trump, on live television, belittled, demeaned, derided, humiliated, mocked, scolded, embarrassed, ridiculed, chastised and undermined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The UK Guardian called the incident “one of the greatest diplomatic disasters in modern history”.

But for me, this was always gonna be the Ramaphosa show, the master negotiator who outsmarted, outwitted, outflanked, and outmanoeuvred the then-National Party chief negotiator, Roelf Meyer.

With convenient amnesia, some forget how you, my leader, took the mining industry to the cleaners. In 1987, as the founding General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), you led the largest and longest strike in South African mining history involving more than 300,000 workers that halted production in the gold and coal sectors.

You, Matamela, taught Big Capital and the apartheid apparatus crucial lessons: their wealth was built on black labour, the same people they treated as second-class citizens. The mining industry lost more than $100-million in pretax profits due to the strike. You emerged as a shrewd, deft, and masterful negotiator.

Fast forward to just under a year ago: you were at it again, cobbling together an 11-party Government of National Unity in just 12 days. You outfoxed, outplayed, outmanoeuvred and politically outclassed the Democratic Alliance’s Helen Zille.

Pre-qualifier


So, the Trump opener wasn’t a grand finale but a pre-qualifier for the real tournament: the Presidential World Cup Games, to be played over four gruelling seasons of the Trump Administration. To win the opening round, you fielded what many dismissed as fringe players, yet they emerged as polished performers with transactional flair to match Trump’s own.

Your Trump card? A midfield commanded by Johann Rupert, the Richemont and Remgro boss, carrying the business brief with quiet authority and a rapport with the American skipper.

Up front, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen provided finesse, not with a ball but a golf club, exploiting Trump's notorious soft spot for the green. On the flank, DA leader John Steenhuisen — now Minister of Agriculture — brought his boots to the food security pitch, no stranger to the political dungeon.

Across the halfway line, the US bench featured hopefuls from the lower leagues — fresh boots, shiny kits, light on caps. Only Trump had prior appearances in the World Cup of Power, now returning with a point to prove — and a red cap in hand.

Vice-President JD Vance, the midfield orchestrator, brought populist grit and vision, aiming to control the tempo of foreign policy and trade. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the centre-back, focused on security and defence, embodying the “peace through strength” mantra.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, the dynamic winger, drove trade negotiations with Wall Street precision. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, the seasoned right-back, ensured smooth diplomatic transitions, drawing on ambassadorial experience.

Together, this ensemble moved to navigate the geopolitical pitch with precision, each player bringing their skills to Trump’s evolving but chaotic strategy.

Halftime report: the Trump-Ramaphosa derby


The match was deadlocked at the break — a tense 0-0, though political tackles flew. The sticking point? A contentious VAR (Video Assistant Referee) review involving 49 Afrikaner “refugees” seeking asylum in the US, with Trump’s camp pushing the tired “white genocide” narrative.

But, in classic Cyril Ramaphosa fashion — calm under pressure — you scored against the run of play.

Early in the second half, the breakthrough came via Johann Rupert — the seasoned centre-back with commercial pedigree — who volleyed one home by affirming his Afrikaner heritage and the uncomfortable truth of his wealth’s origins. A goal was made in Stellenbosch, and it was finished in Washington.

He reminded all that the Constitution — drafted and defended under the African National Congress (ANC) — now guards both his wealth and white minority rights and that referees on this pitch include not only the ANC but also the DA and Freedom Front Plus (FF+), who double as strikers and linesmen when the political ball demands creative positioning.

Trump’s team looked rattled — their midfield lost structure, their narrative crumbling. VAR ruled: Afrikaners are free to migrate, and the US may extend courtesies as it pleases, but South Africa remains a sovereign trading partner — now with a fresh bilateral deal in the making: a clean strike, bottom corner.

The deal? Open lanes to US markets in exchange for uninterrupted flows of South Africa’s prized minerals. That’s when the real substitutions came in. Comrade Leadership, you emptied the bench and brought in the big guns — tactical switches that flipped the momentum.

Second-half line-up: Team Mineral XI


Platinum donned the armband — the undisputed number 10 — controlling 90% of global reserves and 91% of output; it controlled the midfield, powering hydrogen fuel cells, electronics, and cars like a seasoned playmaker. Palladium pressed high up the pitch, commanding 35% of global supply, breaking up emissions and fuelling catalytic converters.

Rhodium, the pacey winger with 80% of the worldwide share, tore down the flanks, running the hydrogen line and emission controls. Manganese held the centre with 80% of reserves under South African boots, anchoring steel production and battery technology.

Chromium kept the backline firm, the steel spine of the squad, commanding 72% of the world reserves. Vanadium (third largest producer behind Russia and China) sat deep, low key yet vital, threading passes into energy storage and steel alloys. Titanium, the left-back, strong and nimble, surged forward from the aerospace and machinery wings.

And guarding the posts, Zirconium, calm and steady, shielding the nuclear core in ceramic gloves.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), all these minerals are on Washington’s Critical Minerals List — essential for maintaining US economic and national security dominance in the 21st century.

With the second-half performance powered by mineral muscle, the match tilted irreversibly in favour of Team Ramaphosa. The decisive play? A blistering counter-attack powered by South Africa’s deep bench of critical minerals, each one a Champions League regular in global supply chains.

The new bilateral deal in the making was the match-winner. And just like that, South Africa was back in the global power league — not just as a player, but as the one holding the golden boot, leading the stats table for strategic relevance.

With you, Matamela, pulling the strings from behind the midfield, this wasn’t just a diplomatic win but a geopolitical masterclass.

While the main pitch in Washington hosted the Trump-Ramaphosa showdown, the Israel-Palestine fixture was relegated to a warm-up match — a frustrating 3-a-side clash with no referees and too many own goals.

Ramaphosa, speaking from the mixed zone, called for a reset — not just of peace talks but the entire fixture list. His suggestion? A rotating neutral venue, a ceasefire by penalty shootout, and a truth commission as post-match analysis.

Coin toss


Meanwhile, both sides refused to leave the tunnel in the Ukraine-Russia derby, still arguing over the coin toss. But here’s the kicker: South Africa offered to co-captain a new peace formation alongside the United States — an unlikely 4-4-2 of diplomacy, trade, mediation, and minerals.

With BRICS+ strikers restless on the bench and Nato defenders overcommitted to high lines, the Ramaphosa proposal to reset the game plan was met with cautious applause from the gallery.

You, President Cyril Ramaphosa, calm, clinical, and quietly ruthless, played the long game like a pro. You danced through the chaos in titanium boots. The Presidential World Cup Games move into the knockout stage, with Ramaphosa Men set to meet Team Brussels, Beijing, and possibly Team Moscow.

But with platinum reserves as your midfield and a manganese-titanium spine, you’re heading into the next match with confidence and composure.

My leader, you didn’t just win a match, you rewrote the fixtures, watered the pitch, and sent the fans home dreaming of a new world order — where South Africa wins not by chance but by calculation. If our courts, not the US Court of Political Opinion, decide, we will keep the equity and expropriation laws with minor tweaks.

Till next week, my man — send me to the next derby, and a front row seat will do. DM

 

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