Last month, Cyril Ramaphosa said he was unconcerned about US relations under Trump. Donald Trump said he was cutting off all future funding to South Africa, claiming the country was confiscating land and treating certain classes of people very badly. His statement followed South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of a bill last month allowing land expropriation without compensation under certain conditions in the public interest.

“South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social platform on Sunday. “I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” Mr Trump wrote. The law aims to address racial disparities in land ownership that persist three decades after apartheid's demise in 1994. It follows the 1913 Natives Land Act, which forcibly displaced thousands of Black families in the country.

While land courts have returned some land through legal processes, the bill allows expropriation without compensation in certain cases to accelerate redistribution. Mr Trump later told reporters that South Africa’s leadership was involved in “some terrible things, horrible things” and implied, without offering evidence or specifics, that the situation extended beyond land confiscation. South Africa’s foreign ministry responded to Mr Trump’s statements on Monday and said that “we trust President Trump’s advisors will make use of the investigative period to attain a thorough understanding of South Africa’s policies within the framework of a constitutional democracy”.

The foreign ministry added in a statement: “This approach will promote a well-informed viewpoint that values and recognises our nation’s dedication to democratic ideals and governance.”. It said: “It may become clear that our expropriation act is not exceptional, as many countries have similar legislation.”. Reuters reported that in 2023, the US provided approximately $440m in assistance to South Africa.

Last month, Mr Ramaphosa said he was unconcerned about US relations under Mr Trump, having spoken to him after his election and looking forward to cooperation. “I’m not worried about our relations. I spoke to him soon after he was elected, congratulated him, and we both said we are looking forward to continued dealings and engagements,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

The Trump administration has suspended all foreign assistance for 90 days, raising uncertainty about the future of its primary international aid agency, with its website going dark and dozens of employees placed on leave. Few days ago, Mr Trump attempted to renew his threat against a bloc of nine nations in case they tried to undermine the US dollar. He threatened economic retaliation if these “seemingly hostile countries” moved away from the dollar, Mr Trump said on Truth Social in a statement nearly identical to one he posted on 30 November.