Trump vows to cut off funding for South Africa as Musk weighs in

President Donald Trump says all future funding to South Africa will be cut off pending a “full investigation” into the country’s land redistribution policies.

“South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. 

“The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”

Recent US government data cited by Reuters showed that South Africa received around $440m of assistance in 2023. 

Contentious land policy moves forward

In January, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law a bill allowing for the South African state to seize land without compensation, which “outlines how expropriation can be done and on what basis”. 

The government says the purpose of the act is to enable greater access to unused land for the country’s black majority, which was systematically dispossessed of land in the colonial and apartheid eras and still owns a minority of the country’s arable land.  

The new law allows for expropriation without compensation only in circumstances where it is “just and equitable and in the public interest” to do so; for example if the property is unused and there is no intention to develop it. The act replaces previous legislation dominated by the “willing seller, willing buyer” principle. 

In a response to Trump, posted on X, President Ramaphosa defended the law.

“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. South Africa, like the United States of America and other countries, has always had expropriation laws that balance the need for public usage of land and the protection of rights of property owners. We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest.”

Right-wing voices amplified

Trump has long used social media to publicise partisan right-wing opinions on South Africa’s land redistribution policies. In recent years those voices have been amplified further by the presence of South African-born billionaire Elon Musk in Trump’s inner circle. 

Posting in response to Ramaphosa’s statement, Musk wrote: “Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?”  

That drew a pointed response from presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya, who called for a constructive dialogue on the issue.  

“My brother, you would know that owing to a devastating legacy of centuries of oppressive and brutal colonialism and apartheid, our constitution provides for redressing the ills of the past. You have his (Ramaphosa’s) number, we started the dialogue, so let’s continue talking constructively.”

New low for US-South Africa relations

The spat follows months of declining US-South Africa relations, which pre-date the arrival of President Trump. 

The Biden administration was angered by South Africa’s rhetorical support for Russia in its war in Ukraine, and dismayed by joint naval drills held between South Africa, Russia and China in the Indian Ocean. 

There has long been speculation that the US could remove South Africa’s membership of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which gives compliant African countries tariff-free access to the US market. Tougher action has been advocated by bipartisan senators.  

Ronak Gopaldas, director at Signal Risk, said that Trump’s comments show that South Africa is unlikely to be afforded similar “leeway” to the Biden years.

“Trump will not treat SA with kid gloves nor will it give Pretoria as much leeway as Biden. There’s a new sheriff in town – he’s a bully w/ leverage. SA needs to ‘read the room’ – the game has changed + we are in an era of personality politics. Optics, messaging and PR matter.”