South Africa’s president reacts to Trump’s sanctions over land expropriation

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has defended the country’s new Expropriation Act following United States President Donald Trump’s announcement of sanctions. 

Trump had in a post on Truth Social on Sunday, accused South Africa of seizing land and mistreating certain classes of people.

Without citing evidence, he declared that the U.S. would cut off all future funding to the country until an investigation was conducted. 

He wrote, “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see. 

“The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!“

Reacting to the sanction on X on Monday, Ramaphosa reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and property rights, rejecting claims that the government was confiscating land.

According to him, the Expropriation Act, recently signed into law, is aimed at addressing racial disparities in land ownership by enabling the state to acquire land in the public interest. 

Ramaphosa emphasised that the legislation does not constitute confiscation but follows a constitutionally mandated legal process to ensure equitable land distribution. 

He also noted that expropriation laws exist in many countries, including the United States, balancing public land use with property rights.

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He tweeted, “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.

“The recently adopted Expropriation Act is not a confiscation instrument, but a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in an equitable and just manner as guided by the constitution. 

“South Africa, like the United States of America and other countries, has always had expropriation laws that balance the need for public usage of land and the protection of rights of property owners.  

“We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest. We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters. 

“The US remains a key strategic political and trade partner for South Africa. With the exception of PEPFAR Aid, which constitutes 17% of South Africa’s HIVAids programme, there is no other funding that is received by South Africa from the United States.”

According to U.S. government data, the United States provided nearly $440 million in assistance to South Africa in 2023, with 17% of the country’s HIV/AIDS programme funded by PEPFAR aid.

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