Reasons Behind Trump’s Threat to Halt Future Funding to South Africa | Global News
As US President Donald Trump’s declarations gain more global attention, the tension among international leaders intensifies.
On the 14th day of Trump’s presidency, he issued warnings about a potential global trade war alongside reports of the impending closure of USAID – the American agency for international aid and development.
Additionally, the 78-year-old took to his Truth Social platform to express concerns about “South Africa seizing land” and claimed that “certain groups of people” were facing “VERY BADLY” treatment.
He has threatened to halt all future funding to South Africa until a thorough investigation occurs – so, what is really happening?
It seems Mr. Trump is revisiting a far-right cause célèbre that asserts white individuals in South Africa are being marginalized and subjected to “genocide” by the nation’s black majority.
Claims of such conduct take various forms, including a law recently enacted by President Cyril Ramaphosa, allowing the government to expropriate land without offering financial compensation.
This legislation aims to address the legacies of decades of oppressive white minority governance in South Africa during the apartheid era.
White landowners control three-quarters of South Africa’s freehold farmland. File pic: Reuters
More than 30 years after Nelson Mandela ushered the nation into democracy, white farmers still retain ownership of the majority of farmland across the country.
Currently, white landowners hold three-quarters of South Africa’s freehold farmland, while black landowners possess only 4%. Black individuals comprise around 80% of South Africa’s population, compared to approximately 8% who are white.
The new law restricts land expropriation to scenarios deemed “just and equitable and in the public interest” – which includes instances where the property is underutilized or where attempts for a financial settlement have collapsed.
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Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated that “the South African government has not expropriated any land.” File pic: Reuters
In response to Trump’s remarks, Ramaphosa stated: “The South African government has not expropriated any land.”
“The recently passed Expropriation Act does not serve as a confiscation tool but rather follows a legal procedure mandated by the Constitution to grant equitable public access to land.”
The assertion of genocide is further fueled by the increasing number of violent incidents targeting landowners in rural regions.
Right-wing factions in South Africa argue that white farmers are specifically targeted due to their race, while the government does little or nothing to safeguard them.
Nevertheless, experts contend that attacks on farms are indicative of the high levels of violent crime prevalent in the country.
It is clear that Trump’s comments regarding land ownership in South Africa reflect the substantial influence that South African-born billionaire Elon Musk has on the president.
Responding on X to Ramaphosa’s remarks, Musk suggested that South Africa has “openly racist land ownership regulations,” implying that white individuals are the ones being victimized.
