The headlines of the leading newspapers on 19 May 2025:
NATIONAL:
# Business Day:
Reports president Cyril Ramaphosa is due to visit the US this week for a high-stakes diplomatic meeting with US president Donald Trump. Their meeting is expected to pave the way for a series of bilateral trade agreements in various sectors, including agriculture, energy, and transport.
# And the Netwerk24 website:
Reports support is pouring in from all over for former president Joe Biden who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Then the website writes Freedom Front Plus leader Corné Mulder says Ramaphosa is making a mistake if he thinks he is going to fool Trump with a rosy picture of South Africa.
And finally there is news about the controversial Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso who was banned from South Africa for five years and left the country yesterday.
GAUTENG:
# The Star & Pretoria News:
Reports the Mantashe family is back in the spotlight after revelations that the minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe’s son Buyambo, was appointed to the SETA boards. The move has been questioned by opposition parties over the transparency of the appointment process.
And secondly, the paper reports Agriculture minister and DA leader John Steenhuisen is accompanying Ramaphosa to the US to try to save AGOA.
# Sowetan:
Leads with: “A MONUMENT OF BROKEN PROMISES”. The paper reports on the Tembisa housing project in Ekurhuleni which is now abandoned. The units are being vandalised and one contractor had to lay off his workers and is now sitting with a debt of 90-thousand-rand that he cannot recover.
# And The Citizen:
Writes the CEO of AfriForum, Kallie Kriel says Ramaphosa should tell Trump that he condemns the Kill-the-farmer song, but according to Kriel, the president will only deny and deny again.
WESTERN CAPE:
# Die Burger:
Reports former minister Roelf Meyer says Ramaphosa will be able to stand his ground against Trump. He says Ramaphosa has world stature and is capable of stating his point of view.
And secondly, the paper writes about the death of 34-year-old Ivan Vosloo in a motorcycle accident near Gqeberha. He is the brother of Johan Vosloo who was found dead in the shower of a guesthouse near Kareedouw in 2020 with his fiancée.
EASTERN CAPE:
# The Herald in Gqeberha:
Reports a former Nelson Mandela Bay metro councillor and his brother could be charged criminally for the alleged misuse of municipal infrastructure and illegal use and transport of water.
And secondly, the paper writes the Patriotic Alliance has decided on the Eastern Cape as a launching pad for the local government elections in 2026.
KWAZULU-NATAL:
# The Witness in Pietermaritzburg:
Writes South Africa is awaiting the Ramaphosa-Trump talks.
And reports on the Umlazi massacre. Eight people were shot dead in this township over the weekend. A motive has not yet been established.
And finally from NAMIBIA:
# Republikein in Windhoek:
Reports Maria Alweendo is suing the state for 10-million-rand after the death of her 16-year-old son who was under psychiatric care at the Oshakati State Hospital.
Then the paper writes that a reward of 160-thousand-rand has been offered to anyone with information that can help catch the poachers of a white rhino cow in the Hardap region.
And finally, there is news about three young Namibian models, Janine Esterhuizen, Mia Coetzee and Louwrens van Zyl, who have landed international contracts with agencies in Japan and India.