President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to reduce US aid to South Africa, following these claims about discrimination against white farmers from the country.
“South Africa is seizing the land, and some people are treating people very badly,” The president said in the initial post Earlier this month, on your social media platform, the truth on social social. “At least, the widespread violation of human rights is happening to everyone.”
The president’s executive order on Friday also included an offer to resettle the white South Africans, which he called “unfair racial discrimination.” The White House summary of this order states that “as long as South Africa … allows violent attacks on innocent minorities farmers, the United States will stop aid and aid to the country.”
Trump had said he would cut all the funds to South Africa, most of which lead to his HIV/AIDS program, “Unless the thorough investigation into the situation is complete!”
The South African government has said it has “not seized any land.” Where is the truth?
Why now?
The executive order comes when a new South African land law is in force. Focusing on South Africa, the President is echoing the views of Elon Musk, the head of the government’s performance, who was born and raised in South Africa.
The world’s riciest man and now a member of Trump’s internal constituency, Musk, has described his birth nation to “racist property laws”, which has accused his government of white farmers of white farmers. The anti -genocide will work very little to stop what goes on as a “genocide”.
According to South Africa’s official data since 2022, South Africa’s population is about 7 % white.
But, in a hangover from the colorful system of the country of white minority rule that ended 30 years ago, the white farmer owns about three -quarters of South Africa’s land.
In addition to the 2022 World Bank data, South Africa’s white -working population earns about three times the average wage of black workers.
The new ground law
Under the leadership of President Serial Ramfosa, the government approved the conflict act last month, which facilitates the government in some cases without any compensation – in some cases when it is unused or public interest in its distribution. Is
The MPs passed the bill, despite opposition to the most white -led democratic alliance, which is a junior coalition partner and the former rival of the African National Congress Party.
It has rejected the national debate about ground reforms in a country where the legacy of a white minority is removing its black population.
The ANC has pledged to reduce clear discrepancy in land ownership, but since the elimination of colorfulness in 1994, growth has been slow and Nelson Mandela was included in power.
Critics of the new law say it can panic through the farming industry, spraying ground values ​​and provoking the grip of violent land, such as one in the neighboring Zimbabwe in the 1990s.
But Roth Law, a professor of poverty, land and agricultural studies at the University of Western Cape of Cape Town, says the new law mostly illustrates the conflict powers that the government has been for decades.
“This is a law for 30 years,” he said.
He added that “this is a misinformation.”
Ramfosa said in A. The new law is not “conformity tool” post on x The last week
Discrimination casualties?
Although white South Africans have been subjected to violence and murder, there is no official data that they have been inflated in a country that has high rates.
In 2023, the attacks attacked less than 300 white -owned fields, killing 49 people. Afrum’s data, A lobby group representing Africans, primarily of 6.9 million South Africa, who owns a large proportion of fields.
According to the recent agricultural census that took place in a decade, there were there Over 40,000 Trade forms in South Africa in 2017.
Although the South African police force has not released any official data regarding the crime of breakdown through the race and has not responded to NBC News’ request for such statistics, but its public Available data shows that the country’s average massacre rate for the same year was 75 daily.
South African foreign and agriculture ministries also did not respond to requests for NBC News to comment on charges of racist laws or allegations of murder of white farmers.
However, in a statement on Thursday, its Foreign Ministry said that “land / private property is not a disobedience. This law is similar to the famous domain laws,” refer to rules in many countries, including the United States. Here. Mandatory acquisition of private property for public use.
Although the potential reduction in land confiscation is part of the law that has led to the most controversy, owners still have the right to fight these extraordinary decisions in court.
“This will not happen overnight, which will lose a landowner overnight,” said Zisa Zassa Boggin Powell, a private law professor at Stelon Bush University in South Africa. “This is a long process.”
‘White genocide’
Expensive Directed an x ​​post Asking in Ramafsa last week, “Why do you have racist property laws?” But South Africa has deep roots of billionaire criticism.
For years, a small but vicious group of white farmers have claimed to have been subjected to racial attacks. This rhetoric has gathered this after the fact that the debate around the new conflict law has begun, in which white nationalists have claimed “genocide”.
In 2023, Musk said that Ramfosa’s government is Silent against them “In South Africa, white people are openly pushing for genocide.”
It seems that the matter has been on Trump’s radar for years. In 2018, he said he had directed the then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “Study the mass murder of farmers closely.”
Experts have said that there is no evidence of such killings. In 2018, former US Ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard described the idea of ​​white genocide as a controversial fiction.
Garriet Newham, head of justice and violence prevention program at the Institute of Security Studies in South Africa, says white farmers are mostly targeted because they are relatively wealthy and weak because they live in remote areas. , Not because of your race.
“Right -wing groups in South Africa actively go to the United States and promote the idea of ​​a white genocide, because, of course, when your killing rate is high, white people The killings are done. ” The killing of white people is less than other race groups, not much.
Within South Africa, false claims have been “surrendered to the political purpose”, the law, a professor of the University of Western Cape, said, Lobby groups “deliberately” as a conflict, ethnic conflict. Invalidly presented, and is connected to a white genocide.
Afrum said Week The executive order of the Trump administration, “is a direct result of the irresponsible actions and policies of President Serial Ramfosa and his government,” he added, adding that the Africans have seen their future as to remain in South Africa.
In the past, Elon Musk has also criticized South Africa’s positive action business laws. Its internet satellite company Star Link was denied a license in South Africa because it did not meet the standard of positive action. Musk did not respond to the NBC News comments as to which laws they see as racists.
Musk’s father, Aerol Musk, said last Tuesday that he had called between his son and Ramfosa. He told Reuters, “I just imagine that Elon must have said, ‘Look, we want to help you, but you have to leave this war against white people in South Africa.”
What is at stake?
If anything, to prevent Trump’s aid suspension and AIDS financing can harm the white farmers who try to defend the musk.
“If you prevent money from helping things like HIV/AIDS or some harsh consequences of poverty, then these white commercial farmers with people living around them and their jobs, There are great problems. “
According to the State Department, the decision to end Trump’s decision to abolish USAID, which helps overseas fighting and poverty fight, more than $ 450 million a year in US supply to South Africa There is a risk of Data.
Now, his latest attack may see the Emergency Plan of the President of AIDS Relief, or funding from Pepper, which is the most successful and most successful after the reconstruction of Europe after World War II. Is a country’s aid program.
Introduced by the administration of President George W. Bush, Pferfer saved 25 million lives from AIDS, helped 20 million people provide HIV anti -arterial behavior and in turn resulting in HIV positive mothers 5.5 million HI We were born free children.
In a country where more than 8 million people of a population of 60 million Live with HIVRamfosa has said that Pepper is about 17 % part of the country $ 2.5 Billion Annual HIV/AIDS budget.
“The world is surprised,” the country’s health minister, Aaron Motesvilidi, told reporters.
