The South African government has reaffirmed its stance against “counterproductive megaphone diplomacy” in response to a renewed social media post by US President Donald Trump, who reiterated claims that Pretoria was seizing land.
Trump extended an invitation to all farmers seeking to leave South Africa for safety reasons, offering them US citizenship.
South Africa has previously stated that Trump’s remarks misrepresent the country’s land expropriation policy. However, his statements have already led to the suspension of US financial aid to South Africa.
In response to the latest claims, the South African government emphasized its commitment to maintaining a mutually beneficial trade, political, and diplomatic relationship with the Trump administration. A government spokesperson further stressed that relations between the two nations should be based on mutual respect.
The land reform law, enacted in January, permits land expropriation without compensation under specific circumstances. Last month, Trump issued an executive order halting aid to South Africa, citing alleged discrimination against the white Afrikaner minority, who are descendants of Dutch and French settlers. He claimed their land was being taken without compensation—an assertion the South African government denies. Despite his broader stance against immigration, Trump offered Afrikaner farmers refugee status.
On Friday, he expanded this offer, stating that any South African farmer, regardless of background, could relocate to the US.
The issue of land ownership has been a long-standing and sensitive topic in South Africa. Nearly three decades after the fall of apartheid, a significant portion of privately owned farmland remains in the hands of the white minority. There have been persistent calls for land reform to address historical injustices stemming from racial segregation.
The new law specifies that expropriation without compensation will only occur when deemed “just and equitable and in the public interest.”
Meanwhile, US financial support for HIV programmes in South Africa was terminated last week. Additionally, the US has withdrawn from a climate agreement aimed at assisting select developing nations, including South Africa, in transitioning away from coal toward green energy.
