South African officials on Thursday slammed President Trump’s tweet alluding to the country’s controversial land ownership reform debate, and said Trump’s remarks were based on “false information” and a “narrow perception.”
“The presidency has noted Trump’s tweet, which is misinformed in our view,” said Khusela Diko, a spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, according to the Guardian. “We will take up the matter through diplomatic channels.”
The State Department told the Washington Examiner spokeswoman Heather Nauert would address the issue at a press briefing scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Trump tweeted late Wednesday that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to “closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers.”
I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. “South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.” @TuckerCarlson @FoxNews
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 23, 2018
South Africa is considering a constitutional amendment that would allow the government to seize land without compensation in order to address unequal ownership. White farmers own almost three-quarters of agricultural land after years of British colonial rule and apartheid policies, which has exacerbated existing tensions based on race and class, given the population is overwhelmingly non-white.
Trump’s tweet followed a report late Wednesday by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who described South Africa’s move to be “immoral” and “literally the definition of racism” as it is predicated on having “the wrong skin color.”
The president’s comment about “large scale killing of farmers” has also been criticized as misleading. A report by Agri SA found that 47 farmers were killed in 2017-2018, the lowest figure in about 20 years. The same research, however, showed attacks on farmers were trending upwards. About 561 such incidents were documented last year.
