Pretoria – Amid reports that President Donald Trump has cut off future funding for South Africa, which he claimed was “treating certain classes of people very badly”, President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his willingness to engage the US leader.
Writing on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, (2 February 2025), President Trump said: “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people very badly”.
President Trump added: “I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”
Insisting that South Africa was a “constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice and equality”, President Ramaphosa rejected unfounded claims of a land grab.
“The South African government has not confiscated any land,” President Ramaphosa said in a statement released on Monday, (3 February 2025).
“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.”
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President Ramaphosa said 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,” President Ramaphosa said.
“We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters.”
Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to President Ramaphosa, said 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 HIV/AIDS programme, there is no other significant funding that is provided by the United States in South Africa,” explained Magwenya.
