File
The South African government has not confiscated any land. In fact, the recently adopted Expropriation Act will not make land grabs easy.
These were some of the responses following remarks by United States President Donald Trump, who said South Africa was "confiscating" land and "treating certain classes of people very badly".
In a statement on social media platform X, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the Act was 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."
He said South Africa, like the United States of America and other countries, has always had expropriation laws that balance the need for public usage of land and the protection of the rights of property owners.
Trump threatened he would cut off funding for South Africa until the matter is investigated.
Political expert, Dr Ongama Mtimka, said he believes Trump's actions were the unfortunate success of a disinformation campaign by some South Africans.
"The Act, if you look at it, doesn't make any land grabs easy, or even possible in South Africa," Mtimka told Algoa FM News on Monday, "because the first battle that the state would have to fight against itself, would be to find properties that it can legitimately say - on the basis of the Act - they meet the criteria for expropriation."
The Presidency said with the exception of PEPFAR Aid, which constitutes 17% of South Africa's HIV/Aids programme, there is no other funding that is received by South Africa from the United States.
PEPFAR stands for the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
Also reacting to the news, the Freedom Front Plus warned that Trump should be taken seriously.
"President Donald Trump's strong words about government abuses such as expropriation in South Africa and America's immediate suspension of monetary aid of one hundred million rand to the country must be taken very seriously," the party said in a statement.
"The ANC can accept in advance that these are not empty words.
"The FF Plus will cooperate with such an investigation as the party has done everything possible in the past to inform foreign countries about events in South Africa, such as farm murders.
"At the same time, the party appeals to America that its actions will be aimed against the leadership of the ANC and individuals and not against ordinary South Africans who are already suffering due to ANC abuses such as corruption and mismanagement."
Meanwhile, ActionSA said it noted with concern what it called the reckless remarks made by Trump.
It said "given the role that the US President plays in global affairs, it must be incumbent upon President Trump to receive more balanced counsel on matters pertaining to South Africa."
At the same time, civil rights organisation AfriForum said it had warned President Ramaphosa and the ANC that the "signing of the Expropriation Act, as well as the enforcement of the country's existing racial laws, will have serious negative implications for investor confidence in South Africa."
AfriForum said it would write an official letter to the United States government and request that the punitive measures that Trump wants to introduce against South Africa "should rather target senior ANC leaders directly and not South Africa's residents."
