Johannesburg: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Monday rejected related remarks by US President Donald Trump recently, stressing that the country had not “confiscated land.”
In a statement issued by the South African Presidency, the government also dismissed claims that the Expropriation Act was aimed at seizing land.
“The recently adopted Expropriation Act is not a confiscation instrument, but a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in an equitable and just manner as guided by the Constitution,” the statement said.
Ramaphosa’s response followed a post by Trump on his social media platform Truth Social Sunday. “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed,” Trump wrote.
President Ramaphosa stated that he was looking forward to discussions with Trump about South Africa’s land reform process, suggesting they might find common ground. “We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest,” Ramaphosa said.
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola said there was nothing unique about the Expropriation Act, as countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have similar laws that allow them to expropriate land when it is in the public interest.
“We want to state that we are a constitutional democracy and the expropriation law that has been referenced is not an exception. Many parts of the world have expropriation laws that are used in the public interest and for public purpose,” Lamola addressed the issue in a video clip, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, African National Congress (ANC) Spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri welcomed Ramaphosa’s engagement with foreign presidents.
“The ANC will not tolerate distortion of the facts undermining our national sovereignty and transformation agenda. We call on all progressive forces, both locally and globally, to reject AfriForum’s divisive agenda and stand with South Africa in its pursuit of justice, equity, and meaningful land reform,” he said.
In January, Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Bill into law, which allows public institutions to expropriate land in the public interest. The signing of the Act repealed the pre-democratic Expropriation Act of 1975.
“Section 25 of the Constitution recognizes expropriation as an essential mechanism for the state to acquire someone’s property for a public purpose or in the public interest, subject to just and equitable compensation being paid,” the Presidency’s statement noted. South Africa is still grappling with the consequences of the 1913 Land Act which saw the state taking land away from thousands of Black people.
