--- title: "What to do about SA’s relationship with Washington; and the most important Springbok combination" description: "South Africa will have to chart its own path out of its spoiled relationship with the United States, writes Terrence Macnamee. And Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus fights for arguably the most important combination in the wider group." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "WEEKEND WRAP" author: "Daily Maverick" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/dailymaverick/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-06-what-to-do-about-sas-relationship-with-wp-with-washington-and-the-most-important/" published: "2025-12-06T16:17:19" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 442 --- # What to do about SA’s relationship with Washington; and the most important Springbok combination > South Africa will have to chart its own path out of its spoiled relationship with the United States, writes Terrence Macnamee. And Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus fights for arguably the most important combination in the wider group. By Daily Maverick · Published 6 December 2025, 18:17 SAST ## Key points - South Africa will have to chart its own path out of its spoiled relationship with the United States, writes Terrence Macnamee. And Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus fights for arguably the most important combination in the wider group. - South Africa faces a critical juncture in redefining its troubled ties with the United States. - Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is focused on securing pivotal coaching dynamics ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup. - Multiple challenges impact South Africa, from environmental issues to conservation models, as highlighted in recent articles. - The continent looks to fund-of-funds structures for economic growth amidst extreme weather patterns and changing landscapes. ## Content ![US President Donald Trump. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Will Oliver) | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Michael Buholzer)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/6m5XqyumgCf15oVLCqUzLZv5eMI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ATB-Ray-SATrump-copy.jpg) *US President Donald Trump. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Will Oliver) | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Michael Buholzer)* ### [What is to be done? It’s time for SA to ditch its failed approach to Washington](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2025-12-04-what-is-to-be-done-its-time-for-sa-to-ditch-its-failed-approach-to-washington/) Many nations have experienced dramatic lows in their relations with Washington over the past year. Few are standing still. South Africa will have to chart its own path out of this mire. **By Terence Macnamee** ![Riaan-Perlemoen](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/ztgYFAMROfUa3Rq64v1g7YkZFjU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Oped-Global-AbaloneTW-inset-main.jpg) *Perlemoen poaching continues to threaten South Africa’s marine ecosystems. (Photo: Gallo Images / Media 24)* ### [Watch — Inside South Africa’s billion-rand perlemoen underworld](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-03-watch-inside-south-africas-billionrand-perlemoen-underworld/) A delicacy worth billions is being stripped from Nelson Mandela Bay’s coastline. But the damage goes far beyond the ocean. **By Riaan Marais** ![Cruise-CoP20-trade collapse](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/riiqZNHL9nlnVpMWVnmp5PpplIA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/johnson-Rethinking-CITES-4.jpg) *A warehouse containing stockpiled ivory at Skukuza in the Kruger National Park on 31 October 2008. (Photo: EPA / Jon Hrusa)* ### [Southern Africa’s wildlife trade agenda implodes, and with it the veneer of a ‘successful’ conservation model](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-01-southern-africas-trade-agenda-implodes-as-and-with-it-the-veneer-of-a-successful/) CITES CoP20 in Samarkand exposed a stark truth: the conservation model southern Africa has spent decades promoting is no longer credible. **By Adam Cruise** ![Burning old tyres at a landfill. (Photo: iStock)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Ot56RMTP78bjdMdHp7z6Cf_NJjE=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/iStock-1333732672_538613.jpg) *Burning old tyres at a landfill. (Photo: iStock)* ### [The tyres keep burning, but we are still waiting](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-01-the-tyres-keep-burning-but-we-are-still-waiting/) A waste tyre collecting scheme didn’t cost the government a cent, but it cleaned the environment and provided work for many. Then it was shut down. Now, the burning tyres are back, and those people are breathing in the poisonous smoke of what used to be their jobs. **By Agnes Mbokwana** ![Mobilising domestic savings offers governments an alternative to volatile foreign borrowing and moves the continent closer to financial sovereignty. (Photo: ISS)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Xk37z2GS_PkW5dGEqXPISpWIyXQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/kara-african-economics-investments_592376.jpg) *Mobilising domestic savings offers governments an alternative to volatile foreign borrowing and moves the continent closer to financial sovereignty. (Photo: ISS)* ### [Africa’s great calibration — can fund-of-funds unlock the continent’s next wave of growth?](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-04-africas-great-calibration-can-fundoffunfunds-unlock-the-continents-next-wave-of/) African leaders and investors are aligning around the strategy of using fund-of-funds structures, governance reform and domestic pension power to pull private capital into the real economy. **By Kara le Roux** ![A hail-strewn street in Daspoort, Pretoria, after Sunday’s storm. (Photo: SA Weather Updates)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/pwD-m3S4Cw9eEMQxxX4BAe0EgKI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/589958673_26224519540481953_302846228733530715_n_157760.jpg) *Hail in Daspoort, Pretoria. (Photo: Southern Africa Weather Updates)* ### [Brace yourself for a storm-lashed December, with extreme weather expected to intensify](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-01-brace-yourself-for-a-stormlashed-decembeecember-with-extreme-weather-expected-to/) As thunderstorms rage across South Africa, December promises extreme weather — hail, floods and relentless rain. **By Lerato Mutsila** ![Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus during the 2025 Castle Lager Incoming Series match between South Africa and Georgia at Mbombela Stadium on July 19, 2025 in Nelspruit, South Africa. (Photo by Anton Geyser/Gallo Images)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/qjgWsaUplvWshPoEpQTDhu-KnF0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/TL_2424777.jpg) *Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus. (Photo: Anton Geyser / Gallo Images)* ### [Coaching dynamic may be Springboks’ most important combination before 2027 RWC](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-02-coaching-dynamic-may-be-springboks-most-important-combination-before-2027-rwc/) Contract negotiations between the coaches and SA Rugby are ongoing, and Erasmus is right to fight for arguably the most important combination in the wider group. **By Craig Ray** ![Pork loin chops with a panko crumb. (Photo: Tony Jackman)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/txwpf_qDDQ0MObviUdrF2G5tvAw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2985/pork-loin-chops-airfryer_997138.jpg) *Pork loin chops with a panko crumb. (Photo: Tony Jackman)* ### [What’s cooking? Panko-crumbed pork loin chops in the air fryer](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-05-airfryday-pankocrumbed-pork-loin-chops-in-the-air-fryer/) To get fatty-edged pork chops just right and seal in the juices, panko crumbs come to the rescue. **By Tony Jackman**