US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday aimed at freezing assistance to South Africa over a controversial law that allows the government to seize farmland from ethnic minorities — namely White farmers — without compensation, as well as the country’s stance against Israel and its war in Gaza.
Trump said in the order the United States would no longer support South Africa with foreign aid if such policies, which he claims highlight a “shocking disregard for its citizens” and amount to “human rights violations,” continue, ordering US agencies to stop providing any aid to South Africa unless deemed necessary.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has previously denied that South African authorities were “confiscating land” and said his country was looking forward to working with the Trump administration “over our land reform policy.”
Trump’s order also directs the United States to assist Afrikaners — an ethnic group descended from European settlers — who are fleeing South Africa due to discrimination, including helping them resettle through refugee programs.
“It is the policy of the United States that, as long as South Africa continues these unjust and immoral practices that harm our Nation, the United States shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa; and the United States shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation,” read the order.
South Africa’s foreign ministry called the order a “great concern” and said it “(lacked) factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid,” adding that the move seemed “to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation.”
“It is ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the US for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged, while vulnerable people in the US from other parts of the world are being deported and denied asylum despite real hardship,” the foreign ministry added in a statement Saturday.
In the past, racist policies forcefully removed Black and non-White South Africans from land for White people to use. There has been a land redistribution and restitution provision in the country’s constitution since South Africa emerged from its apartheid era and held its first democratic elections in 1994.
Unemployment and poverty, however, remain acute among Black South Africans, who make up around 80% of the population, yet own a fraction of the land. In January, Ramaphosa signed a bill into law that sets forth new guidelines for land expropriation, including enabling the government to expropriate land without compensation in some cases.
According to the US Foreign Assistance website, the country said it would send nearly $440 million in assistance to South Africa in 2023, including more than $270 million just from the Agency for International Development (USAID).
The executive order comes as the Trump administration has already frozen almost all foreign assistance and made moves to dismantle USAID.
Trump also said in his order that South Africa had taken an aggressive stance against the United States and its allies through its position on Israel and reinvigorating ties with Iran.
South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in an unprecedented case at the United Nations’ top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It said Israel’s leadership was “intent on destroying the Palestinians in Gaza” and called for the court to order a halt to Israel’s military campaign in the enclave.
Trump has previously said he would halt funding until there was a full investigation into allegations that “South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people very badly,” without citing evidence.
Ramaphosa also spoke to Trump’s “first buddy” and South African-born Elon Musk earlier this week “on issues of misinformation and distortions about South Africa,” emphasizing South Africa’s constitutionally embedded values of the respect for the rule of law, justice, fairness and equality,” a government statement at the time read.
During his annual state of the nation address, Ramaphosa said South Africa “will not be deterred.”
“We are, as South Africans, a resilient people, and we will not be bullied,” he said.