By Shaffie A Mtambo

The recent tensions between the US and South Africa stem from US President Donald Trump’s claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa, alleging that the government is seizing land from white farmers and inciting violence.

However, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has pushed back, emphasizing the need to correct historical injustices and dismiss Trump’s claims as misleading.

South Africa’s land reform policies aim to address the legacy of apartheid, which disproportionately affected the black population.The government seeks to redistribute land to promote economic equality and justice.

The Expropriation Act, enacted in January 2025, allows the government to expropriate private land without compensation in limited circumstances, while ensuring “just and equitable” remuneration.

The US has issued an executive order halting aid to South Africa, citing concerns over the country’s land reform policies and alleged human rights abuses.

The order also promotes the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination.

However, some Afrikaner interest groups have rejected the refugee resettlement offer, denying that their advocacy efforts triggered the executive order.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have reached a low point, with the US expelling South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool in March 2025.

Rasool’s comments about the Trump administration’s policies reflecting a “supremacist instinct” sparked the expulsion. The move marked another significant blow to diplomatic ties between the two countries, whose relationship was already fraught with tension.