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President Trump’s approach to foreign policy has undoubtedly been the hottest topic of conversation since his return to the Oval Office.
After taking on Colombia, Canada and Mexico, Trump set his eyes on South Africa, whose government has been accused of gross human rights violations in recent years.
In a Sunday Truth Social post, President Trump slammed the nation and promised to address the issue.
“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.” Trump wrote.
Trump then detailed his strategic approach, which has worked thus far, to the matter. “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!”
Upon his return to Washington D.C. Sunday evening, Trump spoke to the press about various topics, including South Africa.
One reporter asked the President about his Truth Social post and if he planned to “cut aid across other African nations.
“No, it’s only South Africa. Terrible things are happening in South Africa. The leadership is doing some terrible things, horrible things so that’s under investigation right now. We’ll make a determination and until such time as we find out what South Africa is doing. They’re taking away land, they’re confiscating land, and actually, they’re doing things that are perhaps far worse than that.”
South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, denied the allegations in a post on X, formerly Twitter. He claimed that the country is “a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice, and equality” and that the government “has not confiscated any land.”
He then claimed that the country’s Expropriation Act was “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.”
Billionaire entrepreneur and South African native, Elon Musk, shared a post from entrepreneur Mario Nawfal summarizing Ramaphosa’s claims on X.
“WE’RE NOT CONFISCATING LAND… WE’RE JUST TAKING IT,” Nawfal wrote.
Ramaphosa also compared the nation’s laws with those of the United States and wrote that South Africa “has always had expropriation laws that balance the need for public usage of land and the protection of rights of property owners.”
Additionally, Ramaphosa detailed his interest in working with the United States, which could signal a shift in response from world leaders after observing the results of Trump’s recent foreign policy negotiations.
“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 wrote.
He concluded his post by claiming that the only funding South Africa receives from the United States is PEPFAR Aid for the country’s HIV-Aids program.
However, that claim was quickly refuted by attorney and author Hans Mahncke, who detailed various grants, contracts, and direct payments made to South Africa by the United States.
