Politics

First Comment from South African President After Trump’s Statements on Cutting Aid to His Country

By Sama Marwan,

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his desire to engage in discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump following Trump’s recent statement that he would cut funding to South Africa over a land expropriation law.

On Sunday, Trump claimed that “South Africa is seizing land” and that certain groups of people are being treated “very badly.” As a result, he announced that he would halt funding until the matter is investigated.

Last month, President Ramaphosa signed a bill facilitating land expropriation for public interest, despite opposition from some parties in his coalition government.

In a statement issued by the presidency, Ramaphosa said, “We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration regarding our land reform policy and other bilateral concerns. We are confident that through these discussions, we will reach a better and shared understanding of these matters.”

He continued, “South Africa is a constitutional democracy rooted in the rule of law, justice, and equality. The South African government has not expropriated any land.”

According to Reuters, the law aims to address racial disparities in land ownership that persist even three decades after the end of apartheid in 1994.

Certain conditions must be met before land can be expropriated, such as being informally occupied for a long time, being unused and held for speculation, or being abandoned.

On Monday, Ramaphosa added, “The recently adopted Expropriation Law is not a tool for land seizure, but rather a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in a fair and just manner, as directed by the constitution.”

Trump, in his remarks posted on Truth Social, did not directly mention the law by name.

Ramaphosa noted that, aside from PEPFAR (the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), which constitutes 17% of South Africa’s HIV/AIDS response, the U.S. has not provided any significant financial aid to the country.

Following Trump’s remarks, the South African rand dropped by 2% against the U.S. dollar early Monday, and both stocks and government bonds also declined.

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