On Friday, 7 February, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to cut U.S. financial aid to South Africa, citing concerns over the country’s land policy and its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
The U.S. allocated nearly $440 million in assistance to South Africa in 2023, according to the latest government data.
According to Reuters, in addition to cutting financial aid, the White House announced plans to facilitate the resettlement of white South African farmers and their families as refugees.
U.S. officials will prioritise humanitarian relief, including resettlement through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Programme, specifically for Afrikaners in South Africa, who are descendants of early Dutch and French settlers.
Trump, without providing evidence, claimed that South Africa was “confiscating land” and that certain groups were being treated “very badly.”
Elon Musk, a South African-born billionaire and Trump ally, has similarly claimed that white South Africans face “racist ownership laws.”
Land ownership remains a politically sensitive issue in South Africa due to the historical injustices of colonialism and apartheid.
White landowners still control around three-quarters of the country’s freehold farmland, while only 4% is owned by Black people, who make up 80% of the population. This disparity has led to ongoing tensions over land reform.
In response to Trump’s executive order, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, on Saturday, 08 February, criticised the move, saying it lacked factual accuracy and failed to acknowledge South Africa’s painful history of colonialism and apartheid. Said Lamola:
We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation.
It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favour among decision-makers in the United States of America.
It is ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the US for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged, while vulnerable people in the US from other parts of the world are being deported and denied asylum despite real hardship.
Lamola added that South Africa remains dedicated to seeking diplomatic solutions to any misunderstandings or disputes.
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