Trump suspends funding to South Africa over land confiscation controversy

US President Donald Trump has announced a suspension of all future funding to South Africa, citing the country’s “confiscation” of land and its treatment of certain groups of people.

The decision comes as Trump calls for an investigation into the situation, Caliber.Az reports referencing foreign media.

The land issue in South Africa has long been contentious, with efforts to address the legacies of apartheid drawing sharp criticism from conservatives, including South African-born Elon Musk, who is an influential Trump adviser. Musk, who is the world’s wealthiest individual, has voiced concerns over the land expropriation policy, particularly its potential impact on white landowners.

In December, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a bill allowing the government, in certain cases, to expropriate property with "nil compensation" for the public good. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, sharply criticized the move:

"South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY," Trump wrote. "I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!"

While South Africa insists the new law does not allow arbitrary property seizures, but instead aims to reach agreements with property owners, some groups fear the country could follow in Zimbabwe’s footsteps. After Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, the government seized white-owned commercial farms without compensation, causing economic turmoil.

In a later press briefing, Trump continued to condemn South Africa’s actions: "The leadership is doing some terrible things, horrible things," he said, though he did not provide specific examples. "Until we determine what South Africa is doing — taking away land and confiscating land, and perhaps even worse things — we will withhold funding."

Land ownership remains a divisive issue in South Africa, where much of the farmland is still owned by white individuals, decades after the end of apartheid. Since then, land courts have worked through disputes, returning some land to previously displaced owners.

The land issue has become a rallying point for conservatives, including Musk, who was born in Pretoria and left South Africa in his late teens. Other prominent conservative figures, such as right-wing journalist Katie Hopkins, have voiced support for white landowners.

Trump’s administration has close ties to several influential figures who grew up in apartheid-era Southern Africa, including David Sacks, his newly appointed artificial intelligence czar, and billionaire Peter Thiel, who co-founded PayPal with Musk.

Although Thiel has been accused of supporting apartheid in the past, a spokesperson has denied such claims on his behalf.

By Tamilla Hasanova