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Hell no‚ I won't go: Western Cape finance MEC boycotts Trump's America

Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama (R) looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump raises his fist after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on the West front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama (R) looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump raises his fist after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on the West front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Ivan Meyer‚ the man responsible for the DA’s foreign relations and the Western Cape’s R55-billion budget‚ has vowed not to set foot in the US while Donald Trump is president.

“I will refuse to visit the United States. Other people can visit but I ... have no interest in visiting the United States while he is the president‚” Meyer told The Times amid worldwide protests against Trump’s travel ban on people from seven Muslim-dominated countries.

In the UK‚ more than 1.6 million people have signed a memorandum demanding that a state visit by Trump later this year be cancelled.

Part of Meyer’s job as Western Cape finance MEC is to attract foreign investment‚ and the US is one of the country’s biggest trade partners.

Trump fires chief US lawyer for defying migrant banUS President Donald Trump on Monday fired the acting attorney general, a holdover from the Obama administration, after she ordered Justice Department attorneys not to defend his controversial immigration orders. 

Meyer is also the DA deputy federal chairman responsible for the party’s international relations.

In September‚ City of Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille went on a nine-day trip to the US‚ visiting Atlanta‚ Newark‚ New York‚ Los Angeles and San Francisco with two officials in a bid to attract investment.

The trip was organised with Wesgro‚ the Western Cape government’s agency to promote trade and investment.

Asked how his statement would affect the province and Cape Town’s efforts to increase trade with the US‚ Meyer said he would not stop anyone else visiting the country.

South Africans unaffected so far by Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’US President Donald Trump’s ban on refugees from several Muslim majority countries has not yet affected South Africa. 

“That is the biggest economy in the world‚ and Cape Town is [always] open for business‚” he said. “As a minister of finance‚ our job is always to look to grow the economy and create jobs and that will continue to be.”

But Trump was a racist who hated black people‚ Muslims and any people who did not look like him.

“I don’t think he has any good news for Africans at all. He has no plans to facilitate economic trade between the US and the African continent like (ex-president Barack) Obama did‚” said Meyer.

 

TMG Digital/TimesLIVE

 

 

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