The Democratic Alliance (DA) says its recent mission to the US was an attempt to present facts to President Donald Trump’s administration, to try to save the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) deal which seems to be in jeopardy amid the friction.

IOL reported on Wednesday that Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola has expressed disappointment over the DA’s recent “quiet” week-long visit to the US claiming to support the country’s foreign policy.

Speaking to IOL, Lamola said representing South Africa's foreign policy is the preserve of the executive.

The DA’s visit to the US comes after the lobby groups representing Afrikaners, AfriForum and Solidarity, have been frequenting Washington DC, following Trump’s decision to offer South Afrikaners refuge in the US.

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On Thursday, DA’s Member of Parliament and spokesperson on international relations and cooperation Emma Louise Powell told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that given the precarious position in the bilateral relations, the DA felt it had to intervene as well. She said the DA’s delegation does not undermine the government delegation set to be assigned by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“The DA’s outreach in Washington DC is ongoing and our visit last week forms part of broader efforts across the South Africa landscape to try and urgently de-escalate these heightened tensions and find a pathway towards stabilising the bilateral relationship. The president’s delegation will of course go ahead, I believe it will be a multi-party GNU delegation - we are looking forward to hearing more about that.

“As the second largest stakeholder in the Government of National Unity, we felt that in light of just our significant, heightened tensions and their implications for South Africa, that it was urgent for leaders from our party go to Washington DC, we could open communication channels and provide credible, accurate, fact-based information as to South Africa’s domestic landscape, the challenges we are confronting and to find out from US legislators and policy-makers how we could, as South Africa and US, work together towards a path of de-escalation,” she said.