After his inauguration for his second term in the US, President Donald Trump surprised
the world by slamming tariffs on some countries, including China—a major economic
force—and other nations such as Canada and Mexico. Those countries took steps to
retaliate, leading to trade tensions which have heightened uncertainty in the global
market, however, some of the tariffs for some countries were put on hold with plans for
them to take effect later.
Beyond the trade wars with other countries, Trump’s face-off with the President of South
Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa, is having some effects politically and otherwise. A
longstanding campaign by the White Afrikaans rights group, AfriForum, to influence US
policymakers reached a climax when President Trump falsely accused South Africa of
seizing land from “ethnic minority Afrikaners” and threatened to withhold financial aid.
His comments reignited tensions over land reform, with President Ramaphosa firmly
rejecting what he called “racist distortions.”
Trump’s remarks echoed claims pushed by AfriForum, which has lobbied US right-wing
figures, including Senator Ted Cruz and former National Security Advisor, John Bolton.
In 2018, Trump first weighed in after a Fox News programme featuring AfriForum’s
then-deputy chief, Ernst Roets, who alleged that White farmers faced violent land grabs.
Ramaphosa dismissed Trump’s statements and emphasised that South Africa’s land
reform mirrors US eminent domain laws and is essential for addressing historical
injustices. His party, the ANC, accused AfriForum of manipulating global opinion to
maintain apartheid-era land ownership.
Apart from the verbal exchanges, Trump’s intervention also threatened South Africa’s
HIV relief programme which has been key in the health sector. The programme is worth
7.5 billion Rand ($407 million)- a significant sum of money that makes a meaningful
impact in helping to save lives.
Also, Trump’s ally and billionaire, Elon Musk, cited the same Black empowerment laws
as the reason for withholding Starlink services from South Africa. Due to his links to the
country, many had expected that Musk would invest heavily in South Africa, including
having Starlink operate in the country.
Despite AfriForum’s claims, violent crime in South Africa affects all races, caused
largely by extreme inequality. According to Bloomberg, a land audit found that White
South Africans, just 7% of the population, still own 72% of privately held farmland.
Amid the tensions between the two countries, South Africa’s government rejected
Trump’s offer to resettle White South Africans as refugees in the US, calling it ironic
given his strict immigration policies against those who truly need refugee status.
Ramaphosa reaffirmed that the land reform would proceed, vowing to resist foreign
interference.