US Freezes Aid to South Africa Over Land Expropriation Debate
Washington, D.C. – The Trump administration has taken a sharp rebuke at South Africa, imposing a moratorium on the allocation of direct humanitarian assistance and technical cooperation in the country following a contentious parliamentary motion to amend the country’s Constitution to permit the expropriation of white-owned land.
On Friday, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States is freezing assistance to South Africa following the parliamentary approval of a contentious motion calling for the revision of the Constitution to allow the state to seize white-owned farms without compensation. The move was swiftly condemned by opposition parties in the country and many international experts.
The Trump administration has deemed the proposed change in the law to be unconstitutional, discriminatory and unjust, threatening to undermine confidence in the South African economy. Pompeo stated in a statement released on Friday: "The government of South Africa, under its leadership, took the decision to allow the secession of properties that are used in agriculture by a certain portion of the people… We reject such a government… We’re looking at putting into place conditions so that things come back under normal conditions and all the support they need should not be based on the policy decisions they’ve taken."
This drastic measure marks the latest deterioration in relations between Washington and Pretoria, amid ongoing tensions surrounding corruption, government intervention in the economy, and land reform efforts in South Africa.
The White House has indicated that the proposed expropriation plan is detrimental to the very concept of ownership, and runs the risk of crippling the agriculture industry, causing untold human suffering and pushing up food prices, ultimately driving people to go to the extremes and to cross borders in search of better prospects. The international community has reacted sharply to this unprecedented move.
On the one side, while a significant faction in the black caucus in Congress commended South Africa for what it described as the "historically just action, the global investment community continues to express profound worry about the political and social climate in the Rainbow Nation and what it bodes for property and investment stability.
