South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the country’s land reform policy after former U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cut funding to South Africa.
Trump claimed, without providing evidence, that South Africa is taking land from people and treating “certain groups” unfairly. He said he would stop U.S. funding until the issue is investigated.
According to Reuters, Trump did not specify who he thought was being mistreated, but his comments seem to point to white farmers, who still own about 75% of South Africa’s farmland, despite making up only 8% of the population.
In contrast, Black South Africans, who are 80% of the population, own just 4% of the land.
To address this historical imbalance, Ramaphosa recently signed a law allowing the government to take land “for public interest,” sometimes without paying the owner.
This has caused controversy, especially among white-led groups like the Democratic Alliance (DA), which is part of Ramaphosa’s coalition government.
However, no land has been taken under this law yet. Reuters explains that South Africa’s land issues go back to colonial times when Black people were forced off their land and pushed into crowded townships.
Even after apartheid ended in 1994, land reform has been slow, with critics saying white landowners have held onto too much land.
The new law has been debated for years. It replaces an old law used during apartheid to take land from Black people.
The DA argues that the new law is unconstitutional and could scare away foreign investors. However, the DA also criticized Trump’s threat, clarifying that the law does not allow land to be taken randomly.
According to Reuters, the law is carefully written to ensure land is only taken if it benefits the public, and authorities must first try to negotiate with the owner.
Trump’s threat to cut funding could affect South Africa, but the impact might not be huge. In 2023, the U.S. gave South Africa about $440 million, with most of it going to HIV/AIDS programs.
Ramaphosa said U.S. funding makes up 17% of South Africa’s HIV/AIDS budget, but the country doesn’t rely heavily on U.S. aid.
A bigger concern is trade, as South Africa exports $15 billion worth of goods to the U.S. each year, with a quarter of those exports getting special tariffs under a U.S. trade program called AGOA.
Trump’s comments also brought up the false idea of “white genocide,” a claim that has been spread in far-right circles. This idea suggests that the South African government is targeting white farmers, but there is no evidence to support this.
According to Reuters, about 20,000 murders happen in South Africa each year, and only around 50 of those are white farmers.
Most victims are Black South Africans. Despite this, Trump and his ally Elon Musk have repeated these claims, which have been widely debunked.
In summary, Reuters reports that Trump’s threat to South Africa over land reform is based on misunderstandings and false claims.
While land reform is a sensitive issue in South Africa, the new law is designed to address historical injustices, not to unfairly target any group.
The real impact of Trump’s threat may be limited, but it has sparked a global conversation about South Africa’s efforts to create a fairer society.
Credit : Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/world/what-is-behind-trumps-aid-threat-south-africa-over-land-2025-02-03