Even presidents need to do a bit of shopping from time to time.

That was the case yesterday when South Africa’s head of state paid a personal visit to the annual agricultural expo hosted by the National Maize Producers’ Organisation (NAMPO) in the Free State.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s unannounced visit to NAMPO Harvest Day 2025, held near Bothaville, quickly became a showstopper. Crowds swelled to catch a glimpse—or grab a selfie—with Limpopo’s well-known Ankole cattle farmer-in-chief.

But Ramaphosa wasn’t simply there to charm the crowds.

Escorted by Felix Seitz, Head of Sales at AGCO Corporation—the parent company of Massey Ferguson and Fendt—he appeared to take a serious interest in the machinery on display. After browsing through the exhibits and pausing to examine equipment, the president sat down with AGCO Product Marketing Manager Ryan Clarke to review paperwork and discuss a potential purchase.

While the visit was informal, the presence of South Africa’s first citizen sparked questions from attending media about the major challenges facing the country’s agricultural sector.

Sensing the potential for disruption, NAMPO Chief Executive Dr Dirk Strydom was quick to intervene.

“The president is here in his personal capacity, and we’re not taking any questions at this time,” he told reporters.

Strydom, who has previously met with Ramaphosa on behalf of event organisers Grain SA, emphasised that the visit had not been scheduled in advance.

“He phoned me on Saturday and asked if he could come. That’s it. He’s not here on official business—we must respect his privacy as a farmer, just like any other farmer,” he said.

However, after signing off on what appeared to be a deal for a new Massey Ferguson (or possibly more than one), Ramaphosa did engage in an impromptu media session—addressing matters far removed from tractors and tillers.

Most notably, he was asked about the 49 South Africans who had arrived in Virginia in the United States earlier in the week—the first cohort of so-called “land refugees” reportedly welcomed under an initiative by former President Donald Trump.

Ramaphosa was blunt in his response. Multiple outlets reported him labelling the group as cowards for fleeing the country rather than contributing to its transformation.

“They don’t want to be part of building a new South Africa,” Netwerk24 quoted him as saying.

Among the émigrés is Thea van Straten, formerly of Van Reenen, KwaZulu-Natal, who claimed her decision was rooted in personal trauma.

“I experienced four farm attacks in two years,” she told the outlet. “Before that, I had never been a victim.”

Van Straten said previous attempts to leave South Africa had failed, but the recent US policy shift finally provided her family with a viable escape route.

“Our farm in the Drakensberg is still on the market. We haven’t sold it yet, but we’ll keep trying,” she said. “For now, I’m just relieved to be in America. It feels like a new Great Trek for us.”