South Africa rejects 'megaphone diplomacy' as Trump backs funding cut

Summary:

• Trump halts US federal funding to South Africa
• US aid to South Africa was $323.4 million in 2024
• Ramaphosa's land reforms aims to address land ownership imbalance

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that his country is stopping all federal funding to South Africa, but South Africa responded by saying it would not engage in "megaphone diplomacy".

Trump had already signed an executive order to cut all US financial assistance to South Africa last month, citing disapproval of its land policy and of its genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Washington's ally, Israel.

"To go a step further, any Farmer (with family!) from South Africa, seeking to flee that country for reasons of safety, will be invited into the United States of America with a rapid pathway to Citizenship," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Trump said this process will begin immediately.

Asked for comment about Trump's remarks, Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, told Reuters that South Africa was "not going to partake in a counterproductive megaphone diplomacy."

Magwenya said the country remained committed to building a mutually beneficial bilateral trade, political and diplomatic relationship with the US and this relationship must be based on mutual respect and respect for South Africa's independence and sovereignty.

White landowners still own three quarters of South Africa's freehold farmland. This contrasts with 4% owned by Blacks, according to the latest 2017 land audit, who make up 80% of the population, compared with about 8% for whites.

Partly in an effort to redress this imbalance, Ramaphosa signed a law in January allowing the state to expropriate land "in the public interest", in some cases without compensating the owner.

US foreign assistance commitments to South Africa came in at $323.4 million in 2024, according to US government data.