Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump issued an order late Friday halting all U.S. assistance to South Africa over its recent lawsuit against the Israeli occupation and actions against minorities. Trump stated that South Africa has taken aggressive positions towards the U.S. and its allies, including accusing Israel of genocide in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Trump highlighted that South Africa has recently enacted Expropriation Act 13 of 2024, which enables the government to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners' agricultural property without compensation. This action has been cited as a significant factor in the U.S. decision to halt assistance.
Trump emphasized that the "U.S. cannot support the government of South Africa's commission of rights violations in its country or its undermining of United States foreign policy, which poses national security threats to our Nation, our allies, our African partners, and our interests." He further declared that it is the policy of the United States to cease aid or assistance to South Africa as long as these practices continue.
Additionally, Trump mentioned that the U.S. would support the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including the confiscation of property based on racial grounds.