The South African president has faced tough challenges before - he was the chief negotiator of Nelson Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) during talks to end the white minority rule in the early 1990s - but his upcoming meeting at the White House will require all his charm.

Cyril Ramaphosa hopes to patch up the broken relationship between his country and the United States - his famous negotiation skills will be tested as he tries to win the world's most powerful leader.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his team have been quiet on the trip, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied any details Monday – even publicly acknowledging that the visit was taking place.

"Trade relations are the most important - that's what brings us here," Ramaphosa said in Washington on Tuesday. "We want to come out with a very good trade deal. We want to strengthen those relations and we want to integrate good relations between the two countries."

The two have been on loggerheads for months, and Trump has repeatedly insisted that South Africa’s Afrikaan community is facing “genocide” – despite his close adviser Elon Musk (although it has been widely smeared, his close adviser Elon Musk’s claims have been received.

Tensions grew a few days after Trump took office in January when President Ramaphosa signed a controversial bill allowing the South African government, which in some cases without compensation, was seen as a "fair and public interest."

In the Trump administration's view, this would only damage the image of Africa's largest economy, which has angered the International Court of Justice's genocide (ICJ) against Israel.

In February, the U.S. president announced a moratorium on the provision of critical aid to South Africa and offered to help members of the Dutch community, mainly white descendants of early Dutch and French settlers, settled in the United States as “refugees.”

South Africa's ambassador to Washington Ebrahim Rasool was fired in March after accusing Trump of "mobilization supremacy" and trying to "see white victims as dog whistles."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Rasool was a "politician who lured race" and "no longer welcome in our great country."

The arrival of the first group of Afrikaners last week further sparked the situation, and Trump once again lowered his claim that white farmers were “brutally killed” and their “land was confiscated” – a repeatedly denied by the South African government.

According to South African political analyst Anthoni Van Nieuwkerk, Ramaphosa's decision to go to the White House was a "high-risk strategy", especially given Trump's recent hardline stance.

Professor Van Nieuwkerk predicts two possible situations – the first to see “pleasant and affectionate” interactions, and South Africa’s keenness for “if rational thinking prevails and both sides do a lot of homework”.

But he warned that “emotional thought prevails” and that the focus is on white genocide claims, and things may collapse quickly.

"If the South African delegation cannot convince the Trump administration that South Africa has the right to exercise its policy choices domestically and internationally ... then Trump will use the Oval Office to humiliate Ramaphosa and read the Riot Act to him," said a scholar from the University of South Africa.

“The second situation is not what we want.”

He hoped that the delegation of South Africa would arrive in the United States with "tempting advice" and added: "The negotiations cannot begin in the Oval Office in front of the camera.

“The moment of life must be the conclusion of negotiations that should have happened earlier.”

On this score, he said South Africa does have a trump card: Ramaphosa, known for its negotiating skills and warmth.

He knows what button to press - finding common ground on golf might be his swing. The 72-year-old has invited U.S. leaders to a friendly round of golf at the G20 summit in South Africa in November - and brought two professional golfers to Washington by his entourage: Ernie Els and Retief Goose.

Professor Van Nieuwkerk said: “Whether people like Cyril Ramaphosa or not, we must admit that he is one of the main players in the transition from apartheid to democracy. He is achieved by his personality and style.”

Dr. Lubna Nadvi, a political analyst at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa, agreed that the South African president has “will handle this situation if things get out of control.”

"I expect this face-to-face meeting will allow for strengthening relationships so that the facts are placed on the table," she said, adding that the "propaganda" that affects Trump will have to be resolved.

Dr. Nadwi said it was important for Ramaphosa’s team to make the United States “accept that South Africa is a sovereign state and have the right to make the decisions it wants to make.”

Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for Ramaphosa, told the BBC that the trip would “move to normalize diplomatic relations” and “lay the foundation for improving the foundation for trade relations.

He said that given that all this was confirmed in a short time, the South African delegation, including four senior cabinet ministers, had little time to establish a "formal plan".

But he suggested it likely focused on expanding the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a 25-year-old legislation that guarantees tax exemption for certain goods that are exempt from U.S. consumers.

South Africa is one of the largest exporters under AGOA, with revenue of approximately US$2.7 billion (£2 billion) in 2023, mainly from the sale of vehicles, jewelry and metals.

The deal may not be renewed when reviewed later this year, or if so, it may exclude South Africa from the new agreement.

"Without the continuation or extension of AGOA, we are ready to interact with the Trump administration on a new trade relations framework, which we believe will be mutually beneficial," Mr. Magwenya said.

Regarding the deterioration of relations between Pretoria and Washington, he said South Africa wants to have a "candid, constructive discussion" about them.

Interestingly, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen was part of the delegation. His Democratic Alliance, part of the South African coalition government, has been a voice critic of ANC's mandatory policies, saying they have led to nepotism and corruption. ANC denies this.

Speaking of the ICJ case, South Africa accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians living in Gaza in December 2023 - allegations that Israel denies - Mr. Magwinia acknowledged that this could “cause strong discussion.”

“Procedurally, we cannot withdraw the issue (it) will continue to exist.

“But, with regard to the humanitarian crisis and its mitigation, we have agreed with President Trump and we will focus more on what we can do together in those areas we agree with.”

On Friday, Trump acknowledged that “many people are starving to death” in Gaza after Israel’s recent humanitarian supply blockade on the territory, resulting in “basic food” entering Gaza.

Mr Magwenya also noted that South Africa will not attend the "begging bowl" meeting on Wednesday.

"South Africa needs to enter one of the world's largest markets...the United States also needs certain products and commodities from South Africa."

Currently, South Africa exports a variety of minerals to the United States, including platinum, iron and manganese, as well as precious stones, metals and fruits.

Professor Van Nieuwkerk added that its "geographically strategic location" also makes it "attractive".

The analysts mapped the worst, “Some players want to see us fail and then step in and replace our role in Africa. This is the price we will pay if something goes wrong in the Oval Office”.

But Mr. Magwenya painfully explained that the White House meeting was not a "sprint" to the solution.

“It represents the beginning of a process of resolving the current deadlock and normalizing diplomatic relations,” he said.

“Whether this meeting had negative or positive results, it was a major opportunity for us to start normalizing the relationship.”

Other reports from the BBC in Bernd Debusmann Jr in Washington, DC.