Johannesburg – Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, the Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) – a partner in the Government of National Unity (GNU), has moved to clarify the misunderstanding of the Expropriation Act as expressed by US President Donald Trump.
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!”
“The DA notes with deep concern President Donald Trump’s threat to cut critical aid funding in response to the Expropriation Act,” said Minister Steenhuisen.
He said while the Act does need to be amended to meet the sequencing requirements as highlighted by Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Dean Macpherson, there were also opportunities to deal with other concerns that have been raised in the public since the assertion to the Act.
“However, it is not true that the Act allows land to be seized by the state arbitrarily, and it does require fair compensation for legitimate expropriations in terms of Section 25 of the Constitution,” said Minister Steenhuisen.
“It is unfortunate that individuals have sought to portray this Act as an amendment to Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for Expropriation Without Compensation.”
Minister Steenhuisen said the United States has been a longstanding and valued partner to South Africa.
“In 2024 alone, South Africa received $453 million in direct funding under the PEPFAR programme, with a projected $439 million allocated for 2025. This funding is vital to sustaining life-saving HIV/AIDS treatment and support services for the most vulnerable members of our society.
“In addition, millions of US dollars flow into South African NGOs and government departments for humanitarian and environmental programmes that directly benefit our most vulnerable communities.
“It would be a tragedy if this funding were terminated because of a misunderstanding of the facts.”
Minister Steenhuisen said the GNU is in the process of engaging the Trump administration to clarify the situation and the DA supports these efforts.
“Property rights are foundational to the success of our economy and the DA will always fight to ensure they are fully protected,” said Steenhuisen.
“We successfully opposed any change to Section 25 of the constitution, which protects property rights, and we will continue to work to ensure the Expropriation Amendment Act is constitutionally sound in every respect.”
RELATED: No Land Grab In SA: President Ramaphosa Looks Forward To Engaging President Trump – The Bulrushes
