President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he is suspending all U.S. aid to South Africa after the latter passed a law on land expropriation, which many fear could lead to Zimbabwe-style seizures of land owned by white citizens.
The president made the surprise announcement on Truth Social, his own social media platform, on Sunday evening.
South Africa received $273 million from the U.S. in 2023, according to ForeignAssistance.gov. (Reuters puts the sum at $440 million.) That includes funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). South Africa also has key trade deals with the U.S.
The issue of expropriation has been simmering for decades in South Africa, given the unequal distribution of land, most of which is owned by the white minority as a result of colonialism and apartheid. But until now, South Africa has been reluctant to follow the example of Zimbabwe, which seized land from white farmers in 2000 and plunged the country into starvation, as few black farmers were successful and many farms were stolen by the ruling party.
South Africa, like the United States, already allows the government to seize land under an authority similar to eminent domain, though the preference is for a “willing buyer, willing seller” transaction at fair market prices.
However, radical black nationalist and communist politicians continue to demand that the government seize the property of white farmers. Though few black South Africans want to farm, the issue remains an emotive one.
The new Expropriation Act allows the government to take private land for a “public purpose,” and also allows it to do so without paying any compensation. Opposition parties have pushed back against the bill.
Notably, the opposition, which serves in a national unity government, controls the agriculture ministry, which would be responsible for applying the new expropriation law to farmland. That means implementation is unlikely anytime soon — but it could also mean that South Africa’s governing coalition could shatter over the issue — especially given Trump’s pressure.
Many white South Africans also believe that the high level of rural crime, including the murders of white farmers, is politically motivated. Trump spoke out against the phenomenon in 2018, and highlighted the expropriation issue.
In addition, South Africa also acts contrary to U.S. interests and alliances on the world stage, notably by cozying up to rival powers such as China and Russia, and also by backing Palestinian terror against Israel in international forums.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
This article has been updated.
