President Trump recently made a bold statement. He plans to stop all future US assistance to South Africa. This is due to the country’s recent land expropriation policies. Trump fears these laws will allow the government to take land without fair compensation. He thinks South African authorities are being unfair to certain people. These comments were made on a popular social media platform.
Trump's words caused the South African currency, known as the rand, to drop. It went down by 1. 9%. The rand's value weakened to R19 per dollar. Trump had some strong words for South Africa's leadership, calling them out for doing “terrible” and “horrible” things. He didn’t provide any evidence to support these claims.
The main reason for Trump’s anger is South Africa’s new expropriation bill. This law was signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and lets the government take land for various reasons. These include promoting inclusivity and equal access to natural resources.
In 2023, the US set aside nearly $440 million for South Africa. This fund was meant for various aids and assistance. Right now, the Trump administration has paused all foreign aid for 90 days. They also cast doubt on the future of its main international aid agency. This is evident as the agency's website has gone dark and many employees are on leave.
Elon Musk, known for his ties to Trump, is originally from South Africa. His team recently gained more control over US departments and agencies. This includes taking control of the Treasury's payment system. They also sent representatives to USAID to access information, and two senior security officials were put on leave.
Trump’s stance on South Africa is not new. During his first term, he mentioned investigating claims of widespread killings of white farmers. The South African government has dismissed these allegations as having no basis.
Trump has a history of targeting the Brics nations. South Africa is one of them. He threatened them with 100% tariffs if they move away from the dollar as their reserve currency. This could have significant economic implications for these nations.
South Africa has a unique role this year. They hold the presidency of the G20. This is a group of the world's major economies. Despite the tense situation, Ramaphosa has stated that he is not worried about the relationship between South Africa and the US. He mentioned he and Trump spoke after the US president was elected.
