Why is Trump targeting South Africa? The reason behind the conflict
President Trump, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio and Elon Musk criticizes South Africa in social media with concerns about confiscating land.
This week, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and billionaire businessman Elon Musk, a Trump appointee, launched a series of public criticisms against South Africa, taking to social media to voice their concerns.
In response, the South African government, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, issued a firm but diplomatic statement, emphasizing that the country "would not be bullied" by external pressure. With tensions mounting between the U.S. and one of Africa’s most developed democracies, questions arise: Why has the Trump administration taken such a strong stance against South Africa, and what are the facts behind the accusations?
How Did the U.S.-South Africa Dispute Begin?
The tensions between the Trump administration and South Africa escalated after a series of public statements and social media posts by President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and billionaire businessman Elon Musk.
On February 2, Trump took to Truth Social, alleging that South Africa was confiscating land and mistreating certain groups of people.
"South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY," Trump wrote on his personal account. "I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!"
Later that day, he doubled down on his criticism of South African leadership, telling reporters:
"Terrible things are happening in South Africa. They’re taking away land, they’re confiscating land, and actually, they’re doing things that are perhaps far worse than that."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he would boycott the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg, citing his disapproval of South Africa’s policies.
"I will NOT attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg. South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property," Rubio posted on X.
South Africa is currently the first African nation to hold the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 (G20), and its foreign ministers are scheduled to host a major summit in Johannesburg at the end of February.
The southafrican businessman has been part of Trump's Administration. Photo: LR composition/AFP
The third major criticism came from one of South Africa’s own—Elon Musk. The billionaire, who was born and raised in apartheid-era South Africa, reposted Trump and Rubio’s remarks and weighed in on the controversy himself.
In a direct response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s statement, Musk questioned the country’s policies, asking:
"Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?"
With high-profile figures weighing in, the diplomatic rift between the U.S. and South Africa continues to deepen, raising questions about the future of their relations and Washington's broader stance on African governance policies.