Pretoria, South Africa – The South African government has strongly condemned US President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders, which cut over $400 million in funding to the country and offered white Afrikaner South Africans refugee status in the United States.
The orders, issued on Friday, have escalated diplomatic tensions between the two nations, with Pretoria accusing Washington of engaging in a “campaign of misinformation and propaganda.”
The executive orders came in response to South Africa’s recently enacted Expropriation Act, which President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law in January. Trump’s orders accused Pretoria of “egregious actions” and claimed the Act would seize agricultural property owned by ethnic minority Afrikaners without compensation. The US president also directed the prioritization of white Afrikaner South Africans through the US refugee program, alleging discrimination against the group.
However, the South African government has clarified that the Expropriation Act targets only barren and unused land, not productive agricultural property essential for food production. In a statement on Saturday, International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola criticized Trump’s orders, calling them factually inaccurate and dismissive of South Africa’s history of colonialism and apartheid.
“It is of great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid,” Lamola said. “We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation.”
Lamola also highlighted the irony of the US offering refugee status to economically privileged Afrikaners while deporting vulnerable asylum seekers from other parts of the world. “It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favour among decision-makers in the United States of America,” he added.
The diplomatic rift between Pretoria and Washington has been growing for some time, exacerbated by South Africa’s stance on global issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war and its decision to take Israel to the International Criminal Court over the bombardment of Gaza. Additionally, South Africa’s strengthening ties with BRICS partners—including China, Russia, and Iran—have further strained relations with the US.
During his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, President Ramaphosa addressed South Africa’s foreign policy, emphasizing the country’s commitment to peace, equality, and sustainable development. He announced plans to send a delegation of government and sectoral leaders to various global capitals, including Washington, to explain South Africa’s positions and strengthen diplomatic relations.
“The work we do and what we stand for needs to be explained to many key players, especially to our trading partners and the many countries and leaders we interact with on the global stage,” Ramaphosa said. “We continue through our international relations to advance the well-being of the South African people as we seek to advance the well-being of humanity.”
Trump’s executive orders, however, reflect a starkly different perspective. The US administration has accused South Africa of implementing policies that dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business, and of promoting hateful rhetoric against “racially disfavored landowners.”
“The United States cannot support the government of South Africa’s commission of rights violations in its country or its undermining of United States foreign policy, which poses national security threats to our Nation, our allies, our African partners, and our interests,” the order stated.
The orders also outlined specific measures, including the suspension of aid to South Africa and the promotion of resettlement for Afrikaner refugees fleeing what the US described as “government-sponsored race-based discrimination.”
As tensions between the two nations continue to simmer, South Africa remains committed to diplomatic solutions. “We reiterate that South Africa remains committed to finding diplomatic solutions to any misunderstandings or disputes,” Lamola said.
The fallout from Trump’s orders underscores the challenges of navigating complex international relations in an increasingly polarized world, with South Africa determined to defend its sovereignty and promote its vision of a just and equitable global order.
Source: IOL
