At the weekend, United States President Donald Trump announced a freeze on future funding to South Africa, accusing Africa’s biggest economy of confiscation of private land and what he claimed to be ill-treatment of "certain classes of people."

"South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY", Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see", he added.

Trump said as a result, the US will halt all funding to the country "until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!"

The government of President Cyril Ramaphosa outrightly rejected Trump’s allegations, however, expressing Pretoria’s willingness to engage on the matters of concern to the US.  

"We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest", Ramaphosa said in a statement issued by the presidency.

In January, Ramaphosa signed a bill into law permitting national, provincial, and local authorities to expropriate land for a public purpose or in the public interest, subject to just and equitable compensation being paid. The law seeks to address racial disparities in land ownership that were deeply entrenched by nearly 350 years of brutal colonial rule that were iced with 42 years of apartheid rule that officially ended in 1994.

South Africa is regarded as one of the most unequal societies in the world. A 2022 report by the World Inequality Lab found that the top 10% of South Africans own more than 85% of the country’s wealth, while the bottom 50% hold virtually no net wealth.

White South Africans, who make up less than 8% of the population, own more than 80% of privately held wealth.

Black South Africans, who make up over 80% of the population, own less than 10% of the country’s total wealth.

"We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters", Ramaphosa’s statement added. "South Africa is a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice, and equality. The South African government has not confiscated any land."

Last year South Africa received $453 million in American aid towards the fight against AIDS and this year it had been promised $439 million. This is the funding that Trump has decided to abruptly cut.

‘South Africa being punished over Israel’

However, this fallout is something that many in South Africa have been expecting. Last week South African business tycoon Rob Hersov warned that Trump was planning to deal harshly with the Ramaphosa and his African National Congress (ANC) party.

Political analysts see the US government's announcement to freeze all future funding for South Africa as punishment for South Africa’s dragging Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the International Justice Court (ICJ) over the genocide in Gaza.

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In December 2023, South Africa approached the ICJ to stop the Israeli genocide in Palestine, which claimed over 47,000 lives, with the court confirming that it was plausible that "Israel" may be committing genocide, and the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant against Netanyahu.

The court action infuriated Washington, which spends billions of dollars on bankrolling the Israeli military, causing it to retaliate with sanctions against the ICC. It was not unexpected since then that the US would eventually cut all future funding for South Africa.

"We all knew this was going to follow when we saw ICJ and the ICC being dragged by some European countries who support the displacement and killing of people in Palestine," South African geopolitical analyst Joe Mhlanga said, highlighting that the US uses its financial muscle to punish other states. "The US was not impressed that a country it funds openly opposes its foreign policy in the Middle East",  Mhlanga added.

Zimbabwean international journalist Hopewell Chin’ono opined that the reason Trump opted for aid cut, instead of tariffs or sanctions against South Africa was that those urging him on and falsely claiming that white South Africans are being persecuted by their government are white business owners and pressure groups.

"They know that sanctions or tariffs would hurt them, whereas cutting aid will supposedly harm poor black South Africans and the government."

Hypocrisy and double-standards

Mafa Kwanisai Mafa, the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Palestine Solidarity Council told Al Mayadeen English were it not tragic, it actually would be laughable that the US – of all countries in the world – is expressing concerns over what Trump claims to be ش "massive Human Rights VIOLATION" in South Africa when in actual fact the US is just seeking an excuse to punish South Africa for stepping in to stop a genocide in Gaza committed by Israel with American assistance.

"The recent hostility from Washington towards the ANC government was not unexpected", Mafa said. South Africa’s bold move to bring "Israel" before the ICJ was a direct challenge to US hegemony. The US has never hidden its preference for governments that comply with its dictates. Its silence on authoritarian regimes in some parts of the world, contrasted with its aggressive stance on Venezuela, Iran, and Zimbabwe, exposes the double standard of its foreign policy. The same hypocrisy applies to South Africa’s unwavering support for Palestine. While the West champions human rights in rhetoric, it refuses to hold "Israel" accountable for its apartheid policies, military occupation, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

"The moment South Africa took Israel to the ICJ for genocide, the US and its allies began escalating their hostility towards the ANC government. If Israel is held accountable for genocide, it sets a precedent that could lead to similar legal actions against other Western-backed regimes involved in war crimes. This is why the United States has escalated its rhetoric against South Africa and it fears losing control over the global narrative and the exposure of its complicity in Israeli atrocities."

Mafa said at the same time, the narrative that whites in South Africa are being persecuted is a fabrication rooted in right-wing propaganda.

"In reality, South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world, with the white minority still controlling the bulk of the economy and land. The exaggerated claims of white persecution serve to delegitimise land reform efforts and preserve the economic dominance of white monopoly capital. It is no coincidence that the same forces that resist land redistribution in South Africa are the ones defending Israel’s settler-colonial project."

Lessons from Zimbabwe’s experience

Mafa said Zimbabwe’s experience after being subjected to attacks from all fronts in the aftermath of its own land reform programme of 2000 offers valuable lessons to South Africa.

"The country’s land reform program, though met with Western economic sabotage, proved that land redistribution is possible despite external pressure. South Africa must prepare for similar economic retaliation and strengthen its alliances with BRICS and other Global South partners to counteract potential sanctions. Western governments and corporations, having benefited from centuries of African land dispossession, have no interest in seeing land ownership patterns change. Their concern is not about democracy or justice rather it is about preserving their economic grip over African resources".

"The media warfare that Zimbabwe endured will also be unleashed against South Africa, with Western narratives portraying the ANC government as reckless and dictatorial. The key lesson from Zimbabwe is that resistance and regional solidarity are the best defences against neo-colonial aggression."

He said Africa’s struggle for sovereignty is intertwined with the Palestinian fight for liberation. "Both face the same forces of settler-colonialism, economic exploitation, and imperialist aggression. Western governments that claim to champion human rights are the same ones funding Israeli apartheid and blocking African nations from reclaiming their stolen land. True liberation for Africa and Palestine will not come from Western goodwill but from unity, resistance, and a relentless push for justice.

He added that South Africa’s stance on Palestine is a moral and political statement that cannot be ignored.

"As the West intensifies its pressure, African nations must rally behind Pretoria’s courageous stand. The battle is not just about land in South Africa or Palestinian statehood; it is about dismantling the oppressive global order that seeks to keep the Global South in perpetual subjugation. The world is watching, and history will remember those who stood on the right side of justice."