South Africa hits back at Trump’s claim that it is ‘confiscating land,' as US aid to country threatened

JOHANNESBURG - President Donald Trump’s announcement that helium plans to chopped disconnected each overseas assistance to South Africa due to the fact that helium claimed it is "confiscating" land "and treating definite classes of radical precise badly" successful "a monolithic quality rights violation" has provoked beardown absorption from the South African presidency and commentators. 

"The South African authorities has not confiscated immoderate land", South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responded successful a statement, adding "We look guardant to engaging with the Trump medication implicit our onshore betterment argumentation and issues of bilateral interest. We are definite that retired of those engagements, we volition stock a amended and communal knowing implicit these matters". 

Last week, Ramaphosa signed a measure into instrumentality permitting national, provincial and section authorities to expropriate onshore – to instrumentality it -"for a nationalist intent oregon successful the nationalist interest," and, the authorities stated "subject to conscionable and equitable compensation being paid". However, sources accidental nary expropriation has happened yet.

SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL LAND SEIZURE BILL, ERODING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, halfway left, waves arsenic helium walks past Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, during a household photograph league successful beforehand of the Osaka Castle astatine the G-20 Summit successful Osaka, Japan, connected June 28, 2019. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/AFP via Getty Images)

On his Truth Social Media platform, President Trump deed retired astatine South Africa, posting "It is simply a atrocious concern that the Radical Left Media doesn’t privation to truthful overmuch arsenic mention. A monolithic Human Rights VIOLATION, astatine a minimum, is happening for each to see. The United States won’t basal for it, we volition act. Also, I volition beryllium cutting disconnected each aboriginal backing to South Africa until a afloat probe of this concern has been completed!" Trump aboriginal repeated his comments portion speaking to the property connected Sunday nighttime astatine Joint Base Andrews successful Maryland.

Pieter du Toit, adjunct exertion of South African media radical News 24, posted connected X "The U.S. President, intelligibly advised by Elon Musk, truly has nary thought what he’s talking about." 

South African-born Musk is trying to grow his Starlink net work into South Africa, but President Ramaphosa has reportedly told him helium indispensable merchantability disconnected 30% of his institution present to section broad-based alleged Black empowerment interests.

In effect to the South African president’s statement, Musk fired back connected X, asking Ramaphosa, "Why bash you person openly racist ownership laws?"

INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN, CONGRESS SHOWDOWN LOOMS WITH SOUTH AFRICA OVER SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA, US FOES

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks to supporters during the ANC Siyanqoba Rally held astatine FNB Stadium connected May 25, 2024 successful Johannesburg. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analyst Frans Cronje told Fox News Digital that President Trump whitethorn beryllium referring to the ongoing sidesplitting of farmers successful South Africa erstwhile helium posted that definite classes of radical are being treated precise badly.

"President Trump's caller comments connected onshore seizures successful South Africa cannot beryllium divorced from his past comments connected convulsive attacks directed astatine the country's farmers. Whilst these comments person often been dismissed arsenic false, the latest South African information suggests that the country's commercialized farmers are six times much apt to beryllium violently attacked successful their homes than is the lawsuit for the wide population." 

Cronje said determination whitethorn beryllium agendas successful play down President Trump’s statements.

"Such seizures whitethorn besides use to the spot of American investors successful South Africa. Cronje is an adviser astatine the U.S. Yorktown Foundation for Freedom. He added "with regards to onshore specifically, the authorities could alteration the wide seizure of onshore which has been an oft expressed nonsubjective of elder governmental figures successful the country. To date, however, determination person been nary wide seizures, successful portion due to the fact that determination was nary legislative means done which to execute specified seizures." 

Farmers inspect amusement sheep astatine the Philippolis Show successful Philippolis, South Africa, connected Nov. 1, 2024. (Photo by PAUL BOTES/AFP via Getty Images)

Now, with the measure having been signed into law, Cronje says that has changed. 

"The comments astir spot rights successful South Africa indispensable beryllium work against broader and bipartisan US interest astatine developments successful South Africa. In 2024 the US/South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act was introduced (in Congress) amid concerns that the South African government's relationships with Iran, Russia, and China threatened US nationalist information interests."

Cronje, who besides advises corporations and authorities departments connected economical and governmental trajectory, continued. "Last week, South Africa’s government, unneurotic with that of Cuba, Belize and 4 different countries supported the enactment of the ‘Hague Group’ successful an evident determination to enactment up the lasting of the International Criminal Court, amid the transition done Congress of the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act that prescribes sanctions against immoderate state that is seen to usage the tribunal to endanger US nationalist information interests. South Africa has successful caller years been salient successful employing some that tribunal and the International Court of Justice successful the Hague to property for enactment against Israel and Israeli leaders."

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, left, and President Donald Trump. Trump has criticized South Africa's caller onshore expropriation law. (Evan Vucci/AP/RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images)

South Africa’s Ramaphosa played down the value of U.S. aid, stating "with the objection of PEPFAR (The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) Aid, which constitutes 17% of South Africa’s HIVAids program, determination is nary different important backing that is provided by the United States successful South Africa." President George W. Bush introduced PEPFAR successful 2003.

Analyst Justice Malala, besides speaking connected ENCA, said that, nether the Trump administration, "the United States is going to upend South Africa successful galore ways."