US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to cut US financial assistance to South Africa, the White House said on Friday, citing disapproval of its land policy and of its genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Washington’s ally Israel.
The US allocated nearly US$440-million in assistance to South Africa in 2023, the most recent US government data shows.
The White House said US officials will take steps to prioritise humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the US refugee admissions programme for Afrikaners in South Africa.
Trump has said, without citing evidence, that “South Africa is confiscating land” and that “certain classes of people” were treated “very badly”. South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, who is close to Trump, has said that white South Africans have been the victims of “racist ownership laws”.
President Cyril Ramaphosa — who signed into law a bill last month aimed at making it easier for the state to expropriate land in the public interest — has defended the policy. He has said the government had not confiscated any land and the policy was aimed at evening out racial disparities in land ownership. Ramaphosa said South Africa “will not be bullied”.
Washington has also complained about the case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, where it accused Israel of genocide over Israel’s military assault on Gaza that has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.
Politically charged
Israel denies the allegations, saying it acted in self-defence following a deadly 7 October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants.
The White House cited that case as an example of South Africa taking positions against Washington and its allies.
The executive order signed by Trump will address human rights issues in South Africa, the White House said. Trump had threatened to cut off funding for the nation soon after taking office.
Read: Elon Musk blasts South Africa’s ‘racist ownership laws’
The question of land ownership is highly politically charged in South Africa, due to the legacy of the colonial and apartheid eras when black people were dispossessed of their lands and denied property rights. — Kanishka Singh and Steve Holland, (c) 2025 Reuters
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