Former U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to halt all future financial aid to South Africa, citing concerns over land expropriation policies and alleged human rights violations.
Trump made this declaration in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, shortly after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Bill into law. The controversial legislation allows the government to seize land without compensation in specific cases where it is deemed “just and equitable” or in the public interest. This includes instances where land is abandoned, underutilized, or poses risks to the public.
Although Trump did not explicitly state it, his remarks are widely interpreted as a defense of White South African landowners, some of whom argue that the policy unfairly targets them. Historically, land ownership in South Africa remains a deeply divisive issue, as White South Africans—who make up less than 10% of the population—still own approximately 72% of agricultural land.
Since the end of apartheid in 1994, the South African government has pursued land reforms to address these disparities. However, efforts to accelerate redistribution, particularly through expropriation without compensation, have faced significant opposition, particularly from conservative voices in the U.S.
One of the policy’s prominent critics is billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, a South African-born U.S. citizen with close ties to Trump. Trump himself previously condemned South Africa’s land reform efforts in 2018, warning that they undermined property rights.
In his latest statement, Trump did not clarify which specific aid programs would be affected but emphasized that funding would be suspended pending an investigation into the situation.
“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.
“I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” Trump stated.
Ramaphosa has yet to issue an official response to Trump’s announcement. However, his administration has consistently defended the land reform policy, arguing that it is necessary to correct historical injustices and promote equitable economic development.
