US President Donald Trump has announced plans to halt all future funding to South Africa, citing concerns over land confiscations and alleged mistreatment of certain groups.
This follows South Africa’s recent passage of a law that permits land expropriation without compensation in specific situations.
Land ownership remains a sensitive issue in the country, with much of the farmland still controlled by white individuals, despite the end of apartheid three decades ago.
Calls for addressing land reform and past injustices continue to grow.
In response, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa denied any land confiscations, stating, “South Africa is a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice, and equality,” adding that the government had not seized any land.
Elon Musk, born in South Africa and now an advisor to Trump, also joined the debate, questioning the nation’s ownership laws, posting, “Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?”
Trump, on his social media platform Truth Social, stated, “I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”
He later criticized the South African leadership, saying, “They’re taking away land and confiscating land, and actually they’re doing things that are perhaps far worse than that.”
South Africa’s International Relations Minister, Ronald Lamola, responded by urging Trump’s advisers to gain a deeper understanding of South Africa’s policies, adding that such insights would ensure a “respectful and informed approach.”
Ramaphosa emphasized that the new law was not for arbitrary land confiscations but part of a constitutionally guided legal process for equitable land access.
He also clarified that the U.S. provides funding only through health initiatives like Pepfar, which accounts for 17% of South Africa’s HIV/AIDS program.
Trump’s decision comes after ongoing concerns over South Africa’s land reform and past incidents like those in Zimbabwe, where similar land seizures caused economic collapse.
South Africa maintains that the law aims to prevent arbitrary expropriation and is designed to ensure that land transfers are conducted in the public interest.
Despite this, some critics fear negative consequences similar to those seen in Zimbabwe’s economy following similar policies.
In 2018, Trump had previously asked for an investigation into South Africa’s farm seizures, leading to accusations that his statements were divisive and based on misinformation.
Source-BBC
