Ramaphosa seeks talks with Trump, says land policy is to ensure equality

Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, has pushed back on US President Donald Trump’s criticism of his country’s recently enacted land policy.

On Sunday, Trump threatened to halt funding to South Africa over the terms of the law.

The Expropriation Act signed by Ramaphosa last month allows the government to seize land without compensation under certain circumstances — in a bid to address decades-long inequality brewed by the apartheid era.

The bill was enacted to accelerate land reform efforts, as black South Africans currently own a disproportionately small share of agricultural land compared to the white minority.

Trump kicked against the policy, describing it as a “massive human rights violation”.

The US president accused the South African government of confiscating land and treating “certain classes of people very badly”.

In a tweet on Monday, Ramaphosa dismissed the claims, emphasising that “South Africa is a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice and equality”.

Ramaphosa compared his country to the US, citing the importance of expropriation laws that balance the need for public usage of land and the protection of rights of property owners.

“We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest,” he added.

“We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters.”

Trump has previously been critical of South Africa’s land policy. During his first term in 2018, Trump alleged that the South African government was seizing land from white farmers while killing them on a large scale.

Amid the controversy, an old video of Ramaphosa asking Trump to stay out of the country’s business began circulating on social media.

Ramaphosa maintained that the law was created to address the ills of apartheid.

Elon Musk, South-African born billionaire and Trump’s ally, also waded into the exchange between both presidents.

Replying to Ramaphosa’s tweet, Musk asked the president why he has “openly racist” ownership laws.