Trump freezes aid to South Africa amid spat over land expropriation law

|Published 11:45 PM ET, Saturday February 8, 2025|

On February 7, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting U.S. financial assistance to South Africa, citing concerns over the country’s new land expropriation law. This legislation, recently enacted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, permits the government to expropriate land under specific conditions without compensation, aiming to address historical inequalities stemming from the apartheid era.

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The White House contends that the law discriminates against the white Afrikaner minority and has criticized South Africa for supporting international actors deemed adversarial to U.S. interests. In response, the U.S. plans to develop a program to resettle white South African farmers and their families as refugees.

South Africa’s government has refuted these allegations, asserting that the law is designed to rectify enduring disparities in land ownership and is not intended to target any specific group. President Ramaphosa emphasized that the government has not confiscated any land and remains committed to equitable land reform.

This development has introduced new tensions into U.S.-South Africa relations, with potential implications for future diplomatic and economic engagements.