The US State Department has elaborated on President Donald Trump’s tweet on land expropriation, saying it stands by the remarks.
The US State Department said the move to expropriate land without compensation would not end well for South Africa.
“I should mention that the expropriation of land without compensation, our position is that it would risk sending South Africa down the wrong path. We continue to encourage a peaceful and transparent public debate about what we consider to be a very important issue and South Africans certainly do as well”, said spokesperson Heather Nauert during a press briefing on Thursday, 23 August 2018.
US President Donald Trump caused a social media storm in the country after he announced that he had asked his State Secretary Mike Pompeo to look into land expropriation and the killing of farmers in SA.
“I have 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. South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.”, Trump said on Twitter.
“If policies are poorly implemented, there are potentially detrimental political, socio-economic and other issues”, said Nauert to journalists.
The tweet sparked a wave of condemnation from South Africans, including the EFF and ANC.
“We’ll not engage government about Trump, this is a government of cowards. Our suspicion is that the DA [Democratic Alliance] is involved in this thing. Our suspicion is that Cyril’s group is involved in this thing. They do not believe in the expropriation of land without compensation, including Cyril himself”, Malema said.
Meanwhile, Afriforum and Freedom Front Plus have welcomed Trump’s tweet. It comes as the lobby group criss-crossed Europe, Australia and the US in an attempt to receive support from the international community.
Thabo Baloyi
t.baloyi@politicalanalysis.co.za
