Land reform law met with questions

Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still being owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid. Some Afrikaner farmers believe that the land reform laws under the new Expropriation Act could lead to the confiscation of white-owned farms, as was the case in the early 2000s in neighboring Zimbabwe. The second largest party in South Africa's government of national unity coalition, the Democratic Alliance (DA), on Monday launched a court bid to annul the land law, saying it was in breach of the South African Constitution.

A diplomatic row with US

The Expropriation Act also led to a diplomatic row between Pretoria and US President Donald Trump. The White House also appears to believe that the new laws will lead to the takeover of white-owned farms in South Africa, run mainly by the Afrikaner minority, who are descendants of European colonists mainly of Dutch extraction. English and Afrikaner colonists ruled South Africa for centuries until 1994, depriving the black majority of political and economic rights. This culminated in the 20th century in the brutal system of segregation known as apartheid.

Trump's executive order to stop aid

Last week, Trump froze all US aid to South Africa in response to the latest developments. The decision may have been influenced by Trump's top advisor, South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, who for years has accused South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government of having "openly racist ownership laws" and has even made remarks in support of a consipricy theory alleging that there is a "genocide" against white South Africans. 

Malema versus Musk 

Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, Julius Malema, who is known as a major proponent of the land reforms laws, also appears to be in Musk's cross-hairs as part of the ongoing row. Musk wrote on his platform X, formally Twitter, that Malema should be sanctioned and that an international arrest warrant ought to be issued against him for his open support of land expropriation without compensation. Malema responded to Musk's charges by saying that he was fighting on behalf of black Africans. 

'Misinformation' at the heart of issue

Crispin Phiri, spokesperson for the South African government, told DW meanwhile that much of the global backlash to the Expropriation Act was in fact was based on misinformation. Phiri said it was "not a land seizure law at all," stressing that "The act that we are referring to ... is similar to the eminent domain laws." The spokeswomon also said that South Africa did not "plan to retaliate [against the US] in any way" in response to the ongoing disagreement. 

Asylum for white South Africans only 

Trump meanwhile attracted even further attention by asking his Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to "prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination." There were no details of how the plan to accept such Afrikaner refugees would be enacted, however, as Trump has also halted all asylum procedures as one of his first acts taking office.

White exodus?

Following Trump's order, more than 20,000 queries reached the South African Chamber of Commerce (SACCUSA) in the United States, crashing its servers. "Given the scale of interest, SACCUSA estimates that this figure could represent over 50,000 individuals looking to leave South Africa and seek resettlement in the United States," Neil Diamond, head of SACCUSA told AFP. However, at the same time many groups, including right-wing movements like Afri-Forum and the Orania Movement in South Africa, have released statements that they did not wish to leave their homeland and instead would welcome help form the US in South Africa.

Relics of apartheid today

South Africa's foreign ministry has said Trump's order "lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa's profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid." In a statement, the ministry said that it was "ironic" that Trump's "executive order makes provision for refugee status in the US for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged, while vulnerable people in the US from other parts of the world are being deported and denied asylum despite real hardship."

US to boycott G20 summit

The diplomatic stand-off reached another level when US Secretary of State Rubio announced that he would skip the upcoming G20 talks of foreign ministers in Johannesburg, scheduled for February 20 and 21. Rubio accused the host government of having an "anti-American" agenda despite repeated assurances from Pretoria that this is not the case. Earlier this week, the European Union meanwhile offered its "full support" to South Africa ahead of the G20 meeting, with European Council chief Antonio Costa speaking to President Ramaphosa by phone directly to give further reassurances.

Edited by: Sertan Sanderson