Trump threatens Ramaphosa over land

Claim: The South African government is seizing land from farmers.

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leaders, Floyd Shivambu, described Trump’s utterance as madness and labelling him a racist bigot.

The South African government has slammed US President Donald Trump’s “narrow perception” over land seizures in the country after he ordered US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to study the situation.

An order by President Trump to USA officials to “study the South Africa land and farm seizures” and reports of “large-scale killing of farmers” has drawn an angry reaction in a country where race and land ownership remain a divisive legacy of its apartheid past.

Most of the country’s farms and agricultural holdings are owned by white farmers – 72% according to government statistics.

Many South Africans were stunned.

The parliamentary committee considering thousands of written and oral submissions on the possibility of changing the constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation has until mid-September to submits its recommendations to the National Assembly.

However, the South Africa president said it would be done in an ordered manner and there would be no land grabbing.

The government had previously used a buyback model to purchase white-owned farms to redistribute to black South Africans, but the ruling African National Congress made a decision to amend the constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation in order to speed up restitution. But so far only 10% has been transferred.

The ADL explained how Trump’s claims are actually part of a long-standing effort by white supremacists to falsely paint white people as victims of genocide. If implemented, the government would be able to seize farmland without compensating the owners.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokeswoman Khusela Diko was not immediately available for comment.

– Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForumWe welcome Trump’s tweet. This week Mr Ramaphosa spoke in parliament outlining the significance of the reforms. It is necessary that we should do this to give access to those among us that want to work the land‚ so that we can heal this festering wound of the past.

Despite right wing capitalization on the issue of land, Vandome says, foreign influence is unlikely to play much of a role in that contest.

“There is no evidence to suggest that there is a large-scale killing of farmers”.

Rumours of a high rate of racially targeted farm murders in South Africa have been debunked by fact-checking organisation Africa Check. Last year, 47 farmers were reported killed, the lowest number in a steady decline since 1998, the peak of the violence, when 153 were killed.

However, Transvaal Agricultural Union, a group representing the interests of farmers, recorded 84 farm murders in the 2017 calendar year.

These figures count murdered farmers, farm workers and visitors to farms – irrespective of race.

Proponents of South Africa’s policy, including Ramaphosa, say it is necessary to address historic injustices and can be done in a way that is lawful and will not compromise the beleaguered economy or food security. At the same time, he said, white commercial farmers needed to extend the hand of collaboration that would make it possible for new farmers to enter the sector.