Following South African President Cyril Ramaphosa enacting a law in January that permits land expropriation without compensation under specific conditions, US President Donald Trump announced via a post on his Truth Social platform on 2 February that he may cut off aid to South Africa after an ‘investigation.’ He accused South Africa of land confiscation and mistreatment of ‘certain groups.’ In a press briefing, he said South Africa’s government is doing ‘terrible things, horrible things.’
Julius Malema (@julius_s_malema on X), president of the Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFsouthafrica), a South African political party that seeks a united Africa, replied that nothing would undermine South Africa’s sovereignty. He emphasised that depending on foreign investment and aid compromises national sovereignty, asserting that threats from Trump would not deter South Africa’s progress, currently governed by a coalition of parties of which EFF is not a part. White-led parties also oppose the law.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also addressed Trump’s remarks, affirming that South Africa is committed to law, justice and equality, and has not confiscated land.
Tesla CEO and major Trump donor Elon Musk replied to Ramaphosa on X, ‘Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?’
The new land policy replaced the apartheid-era Expropriation Act of 1975, which mandated compensation for landowners under the ‘willing seller, willing buyer’ principle. The revised law allows for expropriation without compensation when deemed ‘just and equitable’ and in the public interest, particularly for unused properties or those posing risks.
British colonial authorities enacted a 1913 law that restricted property rights for the Black majority, resulting in the white minority controlling most land and forcibly relocating Black South Africans to impoverished areas until the end of apartheid in the early 1990s. In 2017, a government report revealed white settlers held 72 per cent of privately owned farmland, yet they make up 7.3 per cent of the population, according to a 2022 census.
Sources:
1 Comment
God has got ya’ll-Don’t be BULLIED👍✝️