Trump new acts against ‘Racial Discrimination’ in South Africa, freezes funding

On February 7, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting all financial assistance to South Africa, citing alleged human rights violations against the white Afrikaner minority. The administration criticized South Africa's new Expropriation Act, asserting it discriminates against Afrikaners by permitting land expropriation without compensation. The order also condemned the South African government's purported tolerance of violent attacks on Afrikaner farming communities and its support for groups like Hamas, Russia, and Iran. 

Expropriation Act

The Expropriation Act, signed into law by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, allows the government to expropriate land in the public interest under specific conditions. The South African government contends that the law aims to address historical injustices from the apartheid era, where Black South Africans were dispossessed of their land. They emphasize that the law does not arbitrarily target individuals based on race and that private property rights remain protected. 

South Africa's foreign Ministry

In response to the executive order, South Africa's foreign ministry criticized the U.S. decision, stating that it "lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa's profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid." They also highlighted the irony of offering refugee status to a group that remains among the most economically privileged in South Africa, while vulnerable people from other parts of the world are being deported and denied asylum in the U.S. 

Solidarity Movement

The executive order also announced plans to resettle white South African farmers and their families as refugees in the United States. However, prominent Afrikaner groups, such as AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement, have expressed their commitment to remain in South Africa, emphasizing their indigenous status and rejecting the notion of leaving their homeland. 

Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

This move by the U.S. has significant implications, particularly concerning the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which contributes around $440 million annually to South Africa's HIV/AIDS programs. The suspension of aid could adversely affect millions who rely on this support for essential treatments. The situation has further strained U.S.-South Africa relations, already tense due to South Africa's positions on international issues, including its support for a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.