On Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responded to US President Donald Trump’s threat to withdraw aid over the alleged mistreatment of White farmers, rejecting Trump’s assertion that the government was “confiscating land.”
“South Africa is a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice and equality. The South African government has not confiscated any land,” Ramaphosa wrote on X.
“We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest,” he wrote. He added that, while the US was a key strategic political and trade partner, it did not provide significant funding to South Africa besides a major HIV/AIDS relief program.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responded to US President Donald Trump’s threat on Sunday to cut off aid over allegations of mistreatment of White farmers, denying Trump’s claim that the government was “confiscating land.”
Trump’s criticism, which he also made during his first term in 2018, centers around South Africa’s complex land reform process.
During apartheid, racist policies forcibly removed Black and non-White South Africans from their land for White use. Since the end of apartheid and the country’s first democratic elections in 1994, land redistribution has been part of South Africa’s constitution.
Despite this, unemployment and poverty remain widespread among Black South Africans, who represent about 80% of the population but own a small fraction of the land.
In January, Ramaphosa signed a bill into law outlining new guidelines for land expropriation, which includes provisions allowing the government to take land without compensation in certain cases.
On Monday, Ramaphosa clarified in an X post that the law was “not a confiscation instrument,” but a legal process designed to “ensure public access to land in an equitable and just manner,” in line with the constitution.
Despite this, constitutional protections against expropriation without compensation remain, and experts suggest that South Africa’s ruling party could face legal challenges if it pursues the policy.
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