South African farmers mixed responses to President Trump’s land seizures interjection

FARMERS in South Africa have issued mixed responses to US president Donald Trump’s interjection in the February, 2025, land Expropriation Bill signed into law.

Basically, the South African government can now expropriate land, without paying any compensation, if it is in the public interest to do so.

The land must meet a number of criteria, which as yet are not clearly defined, before it can effectively be seized by the government.

White farmers in South Africa are concerned this means they could lose large areas of land, which could put them out of business and force them to leave, just like what happened in Zimbabwe.

However, US president Donald Trump has signed his own Executive Order freezing all financial assistance to South Africa pending an investigation into the Bill.

Within that order President Trump said he was taking action as the United States would no longer support South Africa with foreign aid, accounting for over US$400 million each year, if such a land policy continued, plus he made reference to South Africa’s political stance on the situation in Israel.

The order states: “In shocking disregard of its citizens rights, the Republic of South Africa (South Africa) recently enacted Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 (Act), to enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners agricultural property without compensation.  

“This Act follows countless government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business, and hateful rhetoric and government actions fuelling disproportionate violence against racially disfavoured landowners.
“In addition, South Africa has taken aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements.” 

The order also paved the way for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination to resettle in the USA as part of the Refugee Programme.

South Africa has a population of around 64 million people, seven percent of which are white. While statistics vary, most say there are hundreds of attacks on white farmers each year resulting in 50 to 100 murders each year.

Many farmers welcomed Trump’s words and his action, but said they preferred to stay put in their homeland of South Africa.

Theo de Jager is a Afrikaner farmer in Limpopo and president of SAAI, the biggest network of family farms in South Africa.

In a letter to President Trump he said: “Your recent executive order on South Africa has certainly caused a stir, and we are intrigued by your leadership style.

“In your order, you made special provisions for Afrikaners to be given opportunities in the United States. We sincerely appreciate this, as many farmers in South Africa face dire circumstances; threats of land expropriation, increasing rural crime, and discriminatory access to financing and other critical resources. For some, the opportunity you have extended may be their only viable path forward.

“That said, as a fundamental patriot yourself, you will understand our commitment to stay and fight for our home. Africa is in our blood, and despite the challenges, the vast majority of us have chosen to struggle within the ambit of our constitution.

“We are also grateful for the programs that have allowed over 100,000 young South Africans to work on American farms, gaining valuable skills, exposure to advanced agricultural technologies, and a financial foundation to launch their own careers in the agricultural value chains back home.”

Mr de Jager further explained the difficulties white farmers, and black farmers alike, face each day in South Africa.

He said: “It is critical for you to understand that the tensions in our country are not simply a black and white issue. Many black family farmers, from other cultural communities, suffer just as much, if not more, under the weight of corruption, poor service delivery, and state inefficiencies.

“Land reform in South Africa has failed to create a class of profitable black farmers, as they are often denied title deeds and left at the mercy of political elites and corrupt officials.

“At the core of South Africa’s problems is a political elite that has systematically looted state resources, hollowed out institutions, and undermined the rule of law.

“What we need is opportunity, real opportunities for the next generation to study, learn, and compete globally while ensuring no one is left behind,” added de Jager.

AfriForum, a civil rights organisation representing Afrikaners said: “AfriForum expresses its great appreciation for Trump and the US’s recognition of the injustice to which Afrikaners are subjected in South Africa.

“However, the civil rights organisation and its sister institutions in the Solidarity Movement remain committed to Afrikaners future at the southern tip of Africa and insist that urgent solutions must therefore be found for the injustices committed by the South African government against Afrikaners and other cultural communities in the country.”