US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday cutting financial aid to South Africa, citing concerns over its land policy and its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for alleged genocide in Gaza, according to the White House press release.
Trump stated that the new land policy violates the rights of Afrikaners and accused South Africa of unfair treatment of minority groups.
The US also criticized South Africa’s relations with Iran, accusing it of reinvigorating ties to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements, and announced plans to resettle Afrikaner farmers through the Refugee Admissions Program.
South Africa’s foreign ministry responded on Saturday saying the executive order “lacks factual accuracy and overlooks South Africa’s deep and painful history of colonialism and apartheid.”
Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser and South Africa-born billionaire, fueled the debate by calling South Africa’s land policies “openly racist” on X.
Signed last month, the new land law allows land expropriation without compensation in cases deemed just, equitable, and in the public interest. It targets unused land with no development plans or properties that pose safety risks.