President Donald Trump has frozen all U.S. aid to South Africa, citing alleged rights violations linked to the country’s new land-expropriation law and its allegations of genocide against Israel. The executive order, issued on Friday, escalates tensions between the two nations as South Africa has pushed back with diplomatic efforts.
South Africa’s foreign ministry expressed “great concern” over the lack of factual accuracy in Trump’s claims, reaffirming its commitment to addressing any misunderstandings diplomatically. Trump’s executive order claims South Africa is discriminating against minority White farmers, specifically Afrikaners, and alleges that the government supports “bad actors” on the global stage, including through its pursuit of legal action against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and strengthening ties with Iran.
Trump’s criticism follows earlier friction with South Africa over its refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its claims against Israel regarding actions in Gaza. Relations have worsened this week after both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio falsely claimed South African authorities were seizing land under the expropriation law without providing evidence. This caused the South African rand to initially weaken but recover by the end of the week.
South Africa’s government defended the expropriation law, explaining that it, like many countries, including the U.S., has laws that allow the government to expropriate land in the public interest while ensuring “just and equitable” compensation for owners. Trump’s executive order, however, promotes the resettlement of White Afrikaans farmers and their families in the U.S. as refugees, contrasting sharply with Trump’s tough immigration policies at home.
South Africa’s foreign ministry criticized this move as ironic, noting that Afrikaners remain economically privileged in South Africa, while other vulnerable groups worldwide are being denied asylum in the U.S. Despite Trump’s offer, the Solidarity Movement, representing about 2 million Afrikaners, opposed the aid freeze and rejected the refugee offer.
Trump’s interest in South Africa’s land issue dates back to his first term, during which he asked his Secretary of State to investigate land seizures. Elon Musk, a South African-born billionaire and Trump supporter, has also fueled conspiracy theories about a “genocide” against White people in South Africa, adding to the controversy.
Land ownership has been a sensitive and divisive issue in South Africa since the end of apartheid. White South Africans, who make up just 7% of the population, still control the majority of farmland. The expropriation law aims to redistribute land to address historical injustices, with provisions for compensation or, in some cases, no payment when land is unused or held for speculative purposes.
