United States (US) President Donald Trump has announced a freeze on all future funding for South Africa pending an investigation into its land expropriation policies. This decision follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of the Expropriation Act, which permits land seizures without compensation under specific conditions. Trump condemned the law, calling it a serious human rights violation.
In response, Ramaphosa emphasized that South Africa, like many other nations, has long had expropriation laws balancing public land use with property rights protection. His spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, stated that the president looks forward to engaging with the Trump administration on the matter.
Speaking on NewsBeat on Monday, Professor John Stremlau, Honorary Professor of International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, criticised Trump’s stance.
“It is important for South Africans to realise that Trump speaks in total ignorance. I thought Cyril Ramaphosa’s response was measured and appropriate for the circumstances,” he said.
Stremlau added that this is not the first time Trump has commented on South African land issues without proper understanding. “During his first administration, he was approached by AfriForum about farm killings, and he again spoke in ignorance of the history and circumstances. Ramaphosa responded then, as he does now, telling him to mind his own business.”
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: Screenshot
