South Africa has strongly refuted accusations made by US President Donald Trump that it is unfairly “confiscating land” and mistreating certain groups of people, following Trump’s threat to cut off all future funding to the country, Al Jazeera reports.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, claimed he would halt all US funding to South Africa, citing the need for a “full investigation” into what he described as a land confiscation situation. He also accused the South African government of doing “some terrible things, horrible things,” but failed to provide specific evidence or details in either statement.
The allegations come after South Africa passed a bill allowing the state to expropriate land in the public interest to address historical racial imbalances in ownership stemming from the apartheid era. The government insists that the new legislation does not permit arbitrary expropriation, and that any land transfer requires an agreement with the landowner.
In response to Trump’s comments, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation issued a statement emphasizing that its policies are implemented within a constitutional democracy. They expressed confidence that Trump’s advisors would use the investigation period to gain a better understanding of South Africa’s policies.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also pushed back on Trump’s claims, stating that, with the exception of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the US provides no other significant funding to South Africa.
Adding fuel to the controversy, Elon Musk, a South African-born business magnate closely associated with Trump, weighed in on the matter. In response to President Ramaphosa, Musk accused South Africa of having “openly racist ownership laws”, without providing any evidence.
This latest dispute comes amid a broader climate of tension between the U.S. and South Africa. Trump has previously announced a freeze on most foreign aid as part of his “America First” agenda. While the full extent of the potential funding cut to South Africa remains unclear, the situation has raised concerns about the future of US-South Africa relations.
