South Africa's president to engage Trump after US president threatens funding cut “Over Land Reform”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his willingness to engage with US President Donald Trump, following Trump’s announcement on February 2 that he would cut off funding for South Africa over land confiscations.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that “South Africa is confiscating land” and accused the country of treating “certain classes of people very badly,” Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

He stated that the US would withhold funding until the matter is investigated, though no evidence was provided to support his assertions.

Ramaphosa, in a statement issued by the presidency on February 3, clarified that South Africa had not confiscated any land. He said, “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.”

The South African government recently passed a bill that allows the state to expropriate land for public purposes, in an effort to address the lingering racial disparities in land ownership dating back to apartheid. Despite some opposition from parties in his coalition government, Ramaphosa insisted the law is not about confiscation, but rather a legal process aimed at ensuring equitable access to land.

“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,” Ramaphosa added.

The law includes several conditions to prevent abuse, such as ensuring the land is either unused, abandoned, or held purely for speculation, as well as requiring long-term informal occupants before expropriation can occur.

Responding to Trump’s claims, Ramaphosa also noted that apart from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme, which funds 17% of South Africa’s HIV/Aids programme, there is no significant US funding.

In the wake of Trump’s comments, South Africa’s rand dropped by nearly 2% against the dollar early on February 3, with stocks and the benchmark government bond also experiencing losses.

By Aghakazim Guliyev