President Donald Trump said on Feb. 2 that he would suspend future U.S. funding to South Africa in response to the country’s new controversial expropriation law, which allows land seizures by the state.
“It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention,” the president stated. “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.”
The expropriation law aims to address racial disparities in land ownership. Thirty years after the apartheid system was abandoned, most farmland remains owned by white people.
Some members of the coalition government question the constitutionality of the law and have indicated they may challenge it in court.
The government notes that special conditions have to be met before expropriating land such as that it have longtime informal occupants, is unused and held purely for speculation, or has been abandoned.
“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,” Ramaphosa said in a statement issued by the his office on Feb. 3. “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’s office stated that the reasons for expropriating land can include promoting inclusivity and allowing access to natural resources. The bill would repeal the nation’s Expropriation Act of 1975, which required the state to compensate owners for the land it sought to seize.
The Democratic Alliance joined a coalition led by Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) after the 2024 election resulted in a political deadlock. Steenhuisen said that his party will invoke clause 19 of the coalition agreement to seek “an urgent reset in relations.”
“We won over 3.5 million votes and we are in the government to represent our voters and to rescue South Africa,” he said. “If we cannot fulfil this mandate inside the [Government of National Unity], we will have to seriously consider our next steps.”
Trump said that funding to South Africa will be cut until a full investigation into the situation is completed.
South Africa’s foreign ministry said that it hopes Trump’s advisers will make use of the investigative period to “attain a thorough understanding of South Africa’s policies within the framework of a constitutional democracy.”
“This approach will promote a well-informed viewpoint that values and recognizes our nation’s dedication to democratic ideals and governance,” the ministry said in a statement. “It may become clear that our expropriation act is not exceptional, as many countries have similar legislation.”
Ramaphosa said except for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which constitutes 17 percent of South Africa’s HIV/AIDS program, there was no other significant funding provided by the United States.
