SA claps back at US embassy over ‘non-existent’ land seizure claims

Land expropriation

Cape Town โ€” President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, has responded sharply to the United States Embassy in South Africa’s claims regarding land expropriation in the country.

Tensions between South Africa and the USA continue to soar as the two countries continue to clash over land expropriation. Last week, Trump signed an executive order to halt funding in South Africa, alleging that South Africa’s current land policy allows the government to seize Afrikaner agricultural property with no compensation.

In a statement, the US Embassy to South Africa said it would keep a close on South Africa’s land reforms and said President Donald Trump would hold South Africa accountable for all its actions.

“While championing terrorism and autocratic regimes abroad, South Africa has committed similar human rights violations at home. The recent Expropriation Act enables the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority descendants of settler groupsโ€™ agricultural property without compensation,” it said.

Magwenya responded to the US Embassy’s claims and said it was monitoring ‘non-existent’ land claims.

“South Africa is host to the 2nd largest foreign missions in the world after Washington D.C. Of all the embassies in Pretoria, including the UN Office for Human Rights, you are the only ones monitoring non-existent “land seizures”. I suppose the lies will be incomplete without you,” Magwenya said.

There have been several countries who have pledged support for South Africa following Trump’s executive order. The support includes France, Germany, Italy and the European Union (EU), while China also expressed its commitment to strengthening ties with South Africa.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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