US President Donald Trump has vowed to cut off all future funding to South Africa, citing concerns over land expropriation and alleged discriminatory treatment of some residents, particularly foreigners in the country.
Trump mentioned this in a post shared on his Truth Social on Sunday after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed an expropriation bill into law, allowing the government to seize land without compensation in certain cases.
The newly passed legislation in the country permits expropriation without compensation only in circumstances where it is “just and equitable and in the public interest” to do so.
This includes if the property is not being used and there is no intention to develop or profit from it or when it poses a risk to people.
Although Mr Trump did not explicitly say so, he is believed to be defending White South Africans, some of whom have alleged that the South African policy is unfair to them.
In South Africa, one of the legacies of the Apartheid system is a profound inequality in land ownership.
White South Africans comprise less than 10 per cent of the country’s population but own about 72 per cent of its agricultural land. The 1913 Native Lands Act made it illegal for Africans to acquire land outside the reserves, known as “homelands”.
Since the end of apartheid in 1994, the country has been making efforts to address historical disparities.
However, the government’s efforts to speed up the process through an expropriation without compensation policy have been highly controversial, sparking backlash from conservative figures.
Among the critics is Elon Musk, a billionaire entrepreneur born in South Africa, who has close ties with the US president.
Earlier, in 2018, Mr Trump condemned efforts to redistribute land, arguing they undermine property rights.
In his recent post, Mr Trump did not specify what aid to South Africa would be cut off but stated that this measure would be in place until an investigation had been conducted.
“South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see.
“I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” he said.
South Africa responds
South Africa on Monday rejected claims by US President Donald Trump, saying Pretoria did “not confiscate” any land.
“The recently adopted Expropriation Act is not a confiscation instrument, but a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in an equitable and just manner as guided by the constitution,” said a statement from the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“The South African government has not confiscated any land.”
Ramaphosa’s office said South Africa was a “constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice and equality.”
It clarified that South Africa was receiving only HIV/AIDS prevention funding.
“There is no other funding that is received by South Africa from the United States.”
“South Africa, like the United States of America and other countries, has always had expropriation laws that balance the need for public usage of land and the protection of rights of property owners,” said the office, adding Pretoria looks forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest.
“We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters,” it stressed, calling the US a “key strategic political and trade partner for South Africa.”