U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to suspend future aid to South Africa over allegations that the government is confiscating land and mistreating certain groups.
The controversy follows South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of a new law that allows for land expropriation without compensation under specific conditions. The issue of land ownership has been contentious for decades, as a majority of farmland remains in white ownership, even 30 years after the end of apartheid.
Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday, stating:
“I will halt all future funds to South Africa until a full investigation into this situation is conducted!”
At a press briefing, he further accused the South African leadership of committing “terrible, horrible acts” and suggested that the situation might be worse than land confiscation.
Ramaphosa responded on X (formerly Twitter), asserting that South Africa remains a constitutional democracy rooted in the rule of law, justice, and equality. He denied that any land had been confiscated, emphasizing that the new law is not a tool for arbitrary seizures but a legally regulated process aimed at fairer land distribution.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a South African-born U.S. citizen and Trump adviser, also joined the debate, questioning Ramaphosa:
“Why do you have openly racist property laws?”
South African officials have attempted to downplay the controversy, with Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola urging Trump’s team to study the country’s constitutional framework before making conclusions.
Despite Trump’s threats, Ramaphosa pointed out that South Africa receives no direct U.S. financial aid except through PEPFAR, an American health initiative supporting HIV/AIDS programs, which accounts for 17% of South Africa’s treatment efforts. According to U.S. government data, South Africa received approximately $440 million in aid from the U.S. in 2023.
Critics fear that the new land reform law could lead to economic instability, similar to what happened in Zimbabwe when land seizures triggered a collapse in foreign investment.
Trump previously raised concerns about South African land expropriation policies in 2018, directing then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to investigate claims of farm seizures and violence against white farmers. At the time, the South African government dismissed the accusations, accusing Trump of spreading misinformation.
