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Trump says he is cutting off funding to South Africa over land ‘confiscations’ Trump says he will cut off funding to South Africa over land ‘confiscations’
(about 4 hours later)
Government of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is ‘treating certain classes of people very badly’, Trump claims as he demands ‘full investigation’ of situationGovernment of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is ‘treating certain classes of people very badly’, Trump claims as he demands ‘full investigation’ of situation
US President Donald Trump has asserted South Africa is “confiscating” land and “treating certain classes of people very badly” as he announced he was cutting off all future funding to the country pending an investigation. Donald Trump has claimed South Africa is “confiscating” land and “treating certain classes of people very badly”, announcing he is cutting off all future funding to the country pending an investigation.
The land issue in South Africa has long been divisive, with efforts to redress the inequality of white-rule drawing criticism from conservatives including Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, who was born in South Africa and is a powerful Trump adviser. The US president’s intervention into one of South Africa’s most divisive issues was rebutted by the country’s government and criticised by groups across its political spectrum.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last month signed a bill that stipulates the government may, in certain circumstances, offer “nil compensation” for property it decides to expropriate in the public interest. Land ownership in South Africa remains highly unequal, a legacy of white minority rule that governments have struggled to address since the first multi-racial elections in 1994.
“South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday. Efforts to redress this inequality have drawn criticism from conservatives globally, including the South African-born billionaire and close Trump ally Elon Musk, who on Monday posted “Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?” on his social media platform X, in response to South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa’s defence of the country’s policy.
“I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” Trump wrote. Musk, who is heading Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal government, has said he is working to shut down the foreign aid agency USAid. The Trump administration removed two security officials from USAid at the weekend who had tried to stop representatives from his department of government efficiency from gaining access to the building.
In response to his comments, South Africa said its expropriation act was not exceptional. Ramaphosa signed a bill last month allowing the government to offer “nil compensation” in certain circumstances for land it expropriates in the public interest. This includes if the land is abandoned or held purely for speculation, if offering no compensation is “just and equitable”.
“We trust President Trump’s advisors will make use of the investigative period to attain a thorough understanding of South Africa’s policies within the framework of a constitutional democracy,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday. “I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”.
“This approach will promote a well-informed viewpoint that values and recognizes our nation’s dedication to democratic ideals and governance. It may become clear that our expropriation act is not exceptional, as many countries have similar legislation.” In response, Ramaphosa said its law was not exceptional and that the only US aid South Africa received was 17% of its HIV/Aids programme.
Pretoria has previously argued the bill does not allow the government to expropriate property arbitrarily and must first seek to reach agreement with the owner. “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,” Ramaphosa said in a post on X.
However, some groups fear a situation similar to the Zimbabwe government’s seizure of white-owned commercial farms, often without compensation, after independence in 1980. “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.”
Later, in a briefing with journalists, Trump said that South Africa’s “leadership is doing some terrible things, horrible things” without giving examples. The US federal government can take over private property if “just compensation” is offered.
Ramaphosa’s African National Congress party has previously argued the bill, which was passed by the previous ANC-led parliament, is not arbitrary as the government must first seek agreement with the owner.
However, some groups have warned it could lead to a situation like the Zimbabwe government’s seizure of white-owned commercial farms, often without compensation, after independence in 1980.
The issue has divided South Africa’s coalition government, with the white-led, pro-business Democratic Alliance launching a formal dispute over it. The Zulu-dominated Inkatha Freedom party has raised concerns that it could undermine the Zulu monarchy’s extensive land ownership.
Later, in a media briefing, Trump said, without providing examples, that South Africa’s “leadership is doing some terrible things, horrible things”.
“So that’s under investigation right now. We’ll make a determination, and until such time as we find out what South Africa is doing – they’re taking away land and confiscating land, and actually they’re doing things that are perhaps far worse than that.”“So that’s under investigation right now. We’ll make a determination, and until such time as we find out what South Africa is doing – they’re taking away land and confiscating land, and actually they’re doing things that are perhaps far worse than that.”
Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid. “We trust President Trump’s advisers will make use of the investigative period to attain a thorough understanding of South Africa’s policies within the framework of a constitutional democracy,” South Africa’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Since then land courts have adjudicated on a handful of land disputes and, after exhaustive processes, returned land to previously displaced owners. Thousands of Black families were forcibly removed from their land by the apartheid regime under the 1913 Natives Land Act. Since the end of apartheid, courts have ruled on a handful of lengthy land disputes, returning land to previously displaced owners.
According to the South African government, the 1913 Natives Land Act saw thousands of Black families forcibly removed from their land by the apartheid regime. The government has also bought and redistributed 7.8m hectares of farmland, with a target to redistribute 30% of white farms that has been moved repeatedly from 1998 until 2030.
The delicate issue has been a particular rallying point for the right, with various conservative figures including Musk and right-wing journalist Katie Hopkins championing the cause of white land-owners. Black farmers have bought another 1.8m hectares of land, according to Stellenbosch University economists Johann Kirsten and Wandile Sihlobo. However, 78% of private farms remain white-owned, while many Black farmers have struggled amid a lack of financial and technical support.
Musk was born in Pretoria on 28 June 1971, to an engineer father and a Canadian-born model mother, leaving the country in his late teens. The formal policy of apartheid lasted until 1990, and multi-racial elections were held in 1994. The right has used murders of white South African farmers as a rallying point, including British rightwing journalist Katie Hopkins and Musk, who was born in Pretoria in 1971 but left the country in his late teens.
Trump has surrounded himself with powerful Silicon Valley figures who came of age in apartheid southern Africa, like David Sacks, his newly appointed artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar, who co-founded PayPal along with Musk. Trump has surrounded himself with powerful Silicon Valley figures who came of age in apartheid southern Africa, including David Sacks, his artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar, who co-founded PayPal with Musk.
Billionaire Peter Thiel – another PayPal cofounder, who introduced Trump to his vice-president, JD Vance – also lived in southern Africa, including time in Namibia which was then controlled by Pretoria. Billionaire Peter Thiel – another PayPal cofounder, who introduced Trump to his vice-president, JD Vance – also lived in southern Africa, including in Namibia which was then ruled by South Africa. He has previously been accused of supporting apartheid, something a spokesperson denied on his behalf.
He has previously been accused of supporting the apartheid system, that violently subjugated the Black majority of South Africa to uphold white rule and economic control, something a spokesperson denied on his behalf. Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to this report.
Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to this report