South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his willingness on Monday, February 3, 2025, to engage with former U.S. President Donald Trump following Trump’s announcement that he would cut funding to South Africa, citing concerns over land confiscations.
On Sunday, Trump stated—without providing evidence—that “South Africa is confiscating land” and that “certain classes of people” were being treated “very badly.” As a result, he pledged to halt funding until the issue was thoroughly investigated.
Last month, Ramaphosa signed into law a bill facilitating state expropriation of land in the public interest, despite opposition from certain parties within his coalition government.
“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 presidency.
“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.”
The law is intended to address racial imbalances in land ownership that persist nearly three decades after the end of apartheid in 1994. Under the legislation, land can only be expropriated under specific conditions, such as cases where it has longstanding informal occupants, is unused and held for speculation, or has been abandoned.
“The recently adopted Expropriation Act is not a confiscation instrument, but a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in an equitable and just manner as guided by the constitution,” Ramaphosa reiterated on Monday.
Trump’s remarks, which were posted on Truth Social, did not directly reference the law by name.
Ramaphosa also clarified that apart from funding through PEPFAR, which accounts for 17% of South Africa’s HIV/AIDS program, the United States does not provide any other significant financial assistance to the country.
Following Trump’s comments, the South African rand depreciated by nearly 2% against the U.S. dollar early on Monday, while stocks and the benchmark government bond also saw declines.
(Reuters)
