Presidency says the 2 spoke after US president stated he would droop support to South Africa over its land reform coverage.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke to Elon Musk concerning “misinformation” about South Africa after US President Donald Trump stated he would droop support to the nation over its land reform coverage.
South African-born billionaire Musk, who’s near Trump, waded into the dispute on Monday with a publish on X accusing South Africa of getting “brazenly racist possession legal guidelines”, suggesting white folks have been the victims.
Trump on Sunday accused South Africa of confiscating land and badly treating “sure courses of individuals”.
Ramaphosa responded by saying the federal government had not confiscated any property and the coverage is aimed toward making certain equitable public entry to land.
The presidency stated in an announcement that Ramaphosa and Musk spoke on Monday “on problems with misinformation and distortions” about South Africa.
“Within the course of, the president reiterated South Africa’s constitutionally embedded values of the respect for the rule of legislation, justice, equity and equality,” it stated, giving no additional particulars.
Yesterday, 3 February 2025, President @CyrilRamaphosa spoke to @ElonMusk on problems with misinformation and distortions about South Africa.
Within the course of, the President reiterated South Africa’s constitutionally embedded values of the respect for the rule of legislation, justice,… pic.twitter.com/P5CX9ggTYH
— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) February 4, 2025
‘Full investigation’
The US president had already introduced a brief freeze on virtually all overseas help as a part of his “America First” agenda, pausing billions of {dollars} in world funding.
Final month, Ramaphosa signed a invoice into legislation that might make it simpler for the state to expropriate land within the public curiosity to deal with racial disparities in land possession after apartheid led to 1994.
In line with the federal government, the invoice doesn’t permit it to expropriate property arbitrarily; the landowner should attain an settlement.
Writing on Reality Social, Trump said: “I shall be slicing off all future funding to South Africa till a full investigation of this case has been accomplished.”
In response, South Africa’s Division of Worldwide Relations and Cooperation stated: “We belief President Trump’s advisers will make use of the investigative interval to achieve a radical understanding of South Africa’s insurance policies inside the framework of a constitutional democracy.
“It might change into clear that our expropriation act will not be distinctive, as many international locations have comparable laws.”
Ramaphosa added that apart from the AIDS reduction programme run by the US Company for Worldwide Improvement (USAID), no different vital funding is offered to South Africa by the USA.
