Ramaphosa Unfazed by Trump’s threat on Funding; Denies Land Confiscation Allegation

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has punctured US President Donald Trump’s allegation that his government was “confiscating” land and “treating certain classes of people very badly”.

Ramaphosa refuted the accusation via a post on his official X handle, @cyrilramaphosa, saying that “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.”

While expressing his readiness to engage Trump on the vexed issue, shedding more light to generate proper understanding on his administration’s land reform, Ramaphosa, however, insisted that “South Africa, like the United States of America and other countries, has always had expropriation laws that balance the need for public usage of land and the protection of rights of property owners.”

The South African President restated that regardless of the slight misunderstanding on the land reform policy of his administration, the United States remains a “key strategic political and trade partner for South Africa”.

He, however, downplayed Trump’s threat to cut-off all future funding to South Africa.

Ramaphosa empasised that “With the exception of PEPFAR Aid, which constitutes 17% of South Africa’s HIVAids programme, there is no other funding that is received by South Africa from the United States.”

The Crest recalls that Trump had, on Sunday, issued the threat on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying he would cut off all future funding to South Africa, asserting that the government was “confiscating” land and “treating certain classes of people very badly”.

His exact words: “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see. The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”

According to a report by AFP, the controversy was triggered when President Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed into law a land expropriation bill that allows the government to offer “nil compensation” for property in cases where expropriation is deemed in the public interest. However, the South African government insisted that this does not equate to arbitrary seizures and that it will negotiate with landowners first.”

Reuters, in a recent report, quoted a US government data that indicated that the government had, in 2023, obligated nearly $440 million in assistance to South Africa. During his first term, President Trump had pledged to investigate alleged violent land takeovers and killings of white farmers in South Africa. But no evidence of large-scale incidents was found.

When he was sworn in as the 47^th President of the United States on January 20, 2027, Ramaphosa had assured that he was not worried about his country’s relationship with Trump. Indeed, after he called to congratulate Trump on his election victory, the South African President said he looked forward to working with his incoming administration. South Africa, at the moment, holds the G20 presidency, after which the United States will take over.

Below is the response by President Ramaphosa to the threat by President Donald Trump as he wrote on his official X handle, @cyrilramaphosa, on Monday:

South Africa is a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice and equality. The South African government has not confiscated any 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.

South Africa, like the United States of America and other countries, has always had expropriation laws that balance the need for public usage of land and the protection of rights of property owners.

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 US remains a key strategic political and trade partner for South Africa. With the exception of PEPFAR Aid, which constitutes 17% of South Africa’s HIVAids programme, there is no other funding that is received by South Africa from the United States.