South Africa has rejected the US’s “megaphone diplomacy” approach, refusing to engage in a public dispute over the country’s new land expropriation law.
The law, signed in January, allows for land seizures without compensation in certain circumstances, aiming to address the historical imbalance in land ownership.
US President Donald Trump has been vocal about his disapproval of the law, claiming it discriminates against white Afrikaner farmers and seizing their land without compensation.
Trump even offered refugee status to these farmers and recently extended the offer to all farmers seeking to flee South Africa.
However, the South African government maintains that Trump has misunderstood the law, which only allows for expropriation without compensation in circumstances where it is “just and equitable and in the public interest”.
The government has also emphasized its commitment to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the US, based on mutual respect.
The dispute has already led to consequences, with the US freezing financial aid to South Africa and terminating funding to HIV programs.
The US has also pulled out of a climate agreement aimed at helping South Africa transition to green energy sources.
