Washington, D.C. – Former U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday, formalizing his decision to freeze U.S. assistance to South Africa in response to the country’s controversial Expropriation Act.
The White House claims that the law, which aims to address historical injustices from apartheid-era land dispossession, unfairly discriminates against South Africa’s white minority, particularly Afrikaner farmers.
“As long as South Africa continues to support bad actors on the world stage and allows violent attacks on innocent disfavored minority farmers, the United States will stop aid and assistance to the country,” the White House stated in a summary of the executive order.
The Trump administration also announced plans to launch a resettlement program for white South African farmers and their families, allowing them to seek refugee status in the United States. The White House justified the program by citing concerns over violence and economic instability affecting white landowners in South Africa.
Trump’s action follows the recent signing of the Expropriation Act by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The law grants the government powers to seize land in certain cases, such as when the land is underutilized or when its redistribution is deemed in the public interest.
The South African government insists that the measure is a necessary step toward correcting apartheid-era land dispossession, which disproportionately benefited white landowners.
However, critics, including the Trump administration, argue that the law could lead to widespread property confiscation and economic instability.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, a known Trump ally and the alleged head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, has publicly opposed the South African law.
In a series of social media posts, Musk framed the legislation as a threat to the country’s white minority and accused the South African government of implementing racially discriminatory policies.
The executive order also cites South Africa’s recent legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where it accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. The White House suggested that this played a role in the decision to cut U.S. aid, as Trump has strongly opposed international efforts to scrutinize Israel’s military actions.
The suspension of foreign aid to South Africa is part of Trump’s broader shift toward an “America First” foreign policy, which includes a wider freeze on U.S. overseas assistance programs. The administration has been reevaluating aid distribution, prioritizing countries that align with U.S. strategic interests.
