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Ramaphosa Speaks to Elon Musk Amid US-South Africa Land Reform Dispute
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South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has reached out to billionaire Elon Musk in an effort to ease tensions with the US following criticism over a new land reform law.

Musk, a South Africa-born tech mogul and close adviser to US President Donald Trump, has been vocal in his opposition to the legislation. He recently questioned Ramaphosa on X, asking why South Africa had “openly racist ownership laws.” His comments came after Trump threatened to cut all US funding to the country, alleging that it was confiscating land and “treating certain classes of people very badly.”

In a statement following the call, Ramaphosa’s office said the president “reiterated South Africa’s constitutionally embedded values of respect for the rule of law, justice, fairness, and equality.”

Trump’s Threat to Cut Funding

Tensions escalated after Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday:

“I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”

He later told journalists that South Africa’s leadership was “doing some terrible things, horrible things,” adding that the situation was under review.

The South African government has denied allegations of land confiscation, with Ramaphosa stating unequivocally that “no land has been confiscated.”

What the New Law Allows

The legislation signed by Ramaphosa last month allows for land expropriation without compensation in specific cases deemed “just and equitable and in the public interest.” These include situations where land is abandoned, poses a risk to people, or is left unused without plans for development.

Land ownership has been a deeply contentious issue in South Africa for over a century. The 1913 Natives Land Act, passed by British colonial authorities, stripped the black majority of land rights and placed most of the country’s land under white minority control. This led to forced removals and entrenched inequality, which persisted under apartheid.

Since the end of apartheid in 1994, efforts to redistribute land have been slow, relying on a “willing seller, willing buyer” approach. Critics argue this method has delayed meaningful reform. A 2017 government report found that 72% of privately owned farmland was in white hands, despite white people making up just 7.3% of the population, according to the 2022 census.

Fears of Economic Fallout

While some see the new law as a necessary step to redress past injustices, others fear it could have dire economic consequences. Comparisons have been drawn to Zimbabwe, where land seizures led to economic collapse and investor flight.

With the US threatening to withdraw funding and global scrutiny mounting, Ramaphosa’s engagement with Musk signals an attempt to manage diplomatic fallout while defending his government’s land reform policy.

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Piers Potter
Author: Piers Potter

Piers Potter

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