The US president has accused Pretoria of enacting a land law that unlawfully discriminates against the country’s white minority
The US will stop all federal funding to South Africa, President Donald Trump announced on Friday, calling the country a “bad place to be right now” and offering a fast-track relocation process to any citizens seeking to leave.
Trump’s remarks come amid growing tensions between Washington and Pretoria over a controversial land expropriation law enacted to address racial disparities in land ownership in South Africa. Earlier this month, Trump slammed the law as an “egregious action” and signed an executive order instructing US government agencies to halt aid to the country.
“South Africa is being terrible… to long-time Farmers in the country. They are confiscating their LAND and FARMS, and MUCH WORSE THAN THAT. A bad place to be right now, and we are stopping all Federal Funding,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He also extended an invitation to all South African farmers who wish to “flee for reasons of safety,” promising them “a rapid pathway” to US citizenship.
The law signed in January allows land seizure “in the public interest,” without compensation in some cases. Pretoria says it is intended to address long-standing disparities in land ownership. According to a 2017 land audit, white Afrikaners, who make up 8% of the population, still own nearly 75% of the country’s freehold farmland, while black South Africans, who make up around 80% of the population, own just 4%. The government has set a target of transferring 30% of farmland to black farmers by 2030.
Trump has claimed that the law unfairly discriminates against Afrikaners. In his executive order, he accused Pretoria of a “shocking disregard for its citizens’ rights.”
According to a report by The Guardian on Friday, the US State Department has now officially implemented Trump’s directive, issuing a cable ordering an immediate pause on most US foreign assistance to South Africa. The directive, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, instructs all department entities to “pause all obligations and/or dispersions of aid or assistance to South Africa.”
The South African government previously dismissed Trump’s concerns, saying he misunderstood the law.
Responding to Trump’s latest remarks, South African presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya dismissed them as “counterproductive megaphone diplomacy.” In a statement to Reuters on Friday, he said Pretoria would not engage in the dispute, stressing that while South Africa remains committed to fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with the US, it must be based on mutual respect and recognition of sovereignty.
