US President Donald Trump has announced plans to halt all future funding to South Africa, citing allegations that the country is confiscating land and mistreating certain groups of people. The decision comes in response to a new law signed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last month, which permits land expropriation without compensation under specific conditions.
Land ownership remains a deeply divisive issue in South Africa, where the majority of farmland is still held by white citizens, three decades after the end of apartheid. The government has faced persistent calls to address land reform and rectify historical injustices tied to racial segregation.
On Sunday, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to declare, “I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” In a subsequent briefing with journalists, he accused South Africa’s leadership of committing “terrible things, horrible things,” adding, “They’re taking away land and confiscating land, and actually they’re doing things that are perhaps far worse than that.”
South Africa’s International Relations Minister, Ronald Lamola, responded on X, urging Trump’s advisers to use the investigation period to “deepen their understanding of South Africa’s policies as a constitutional democracy.” He emphasized that such understanding would foster a “respectful and informed approach to our democratic commitments.”
According to US government data, the United States provided approximately $440 million in assistance to South Africa in 2023. The South African government has defended the new law, stating that it does not permit arbitrary land seizures. Officials have clarified that the state must first attempt to negotiate with landowners and that expropriation can only occur in the public interest.
President Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, reiterated last month that the law ensures property cannot be expropriated arbitrarily or for purposes outside the public interest. The government argues that the existing “willing seller, willing buyer” system has allowed white farmers to stall land reform efforts.
However, critics warn that the law could lead to economic instability, drawing parallels to Zimbabwe’s land seizures, which devastated its economy and deterred foreign investment. The debate over land reform in South Africa continues to spark intense domestic and international scrutiny.
