In a post on his official Facebook and X accounts Wednesday evening, Sowore condemned what he described as the humiliation of an African leader before Western power, calling Ramaphosa's conduct disgraceful and cowardly.

Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, following his visit to the White House where he met with U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a post on his official Facebook and X accounts Wednesday evening, Sowore condemned what he described as the humiliation of an African leader before Western power, calling Ramaphosa's conduct disgraceful and cowardly.

“The sight of South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House, helpless before Donald J. Trump has got to be the most demeaning I have seen of an African President reduced to rubble,” Sowore wrote.

“They must have studied that he was a buffoon and then subject him to the worst form of ridicule meted to an enslaved African.”

Sowore went further to suggest that Ramaphosa had an opportunity to challenge Trump’s global stance but instead folded in submission.

“If Cyril Ramaphosa wasn't an idiot he could at least have told Trump about what a genocide looks like in Gaza! #RevolutionNow,” he added.

The backlash comes after Ramaphosa’s tense Oval Office appearance with Trump, during which the former U.S. president repeated his controversial claims about the alleged persecution of white farmers in South Africa, a narrative often promoted by far-right elements globally.

However, in comments following the meeting, Ramaphosa appeared to downplay the confrontation. Speaking to reporters, he said the private talks with Trump did not dwell on the genocide narrative.

“We kept saying there is a security problem, and not running away from that is criminality,” Ramaphosa said.

He added, “I do believe that our visit here has been a great success.”

The sight of South Africa’s President @CyrilRamaphosa at the @WhiteHouse, helpless before @DonaldTrump has got to the most demeaning I have seen of an African President reduced to rubble, they must have studied that he was a buffoon and then subject him to the worst form of… pic.twitter.com/NsZUapShjO

— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) May 21, 2025

He also insisted that there was a “firm agreement” to continue diplomatic and economic engagement with the United States, particularly around trade and Trump’s proposed 30 percent tariffs.

Despite the positive spin from the South African delegation, critics like Sowore believe Ramaphosa’s conduct reinforced stereotypes of African leaders as submissive in the face of Western aggression and insult.

Sowore, who has long been an outspoken critic of Western imperialism and African leadership failures, used the incident to revive calls for political awakening and assertiveness on the continent.