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Trump Confronts Human Rights Violations in South Africa
The government of South Africa recently passed a land Expropriation Act which allows authorities to “seize disfavored citizens’ property without compensation,” and “blatantly discriminates against ethnic minority descendants of settler groups,” a White House Fact sheet explained.
In response, President Trump signed an executive order stopping U.S. aid and assistance to South Africa as long as it “continues to support bad actors on the world stage and allows violent attacks on innocent disfavored minority farmers,” the fact sheet went on to say. “The United States will establish a plan to resettle disfavored minorities in South Africa discriminated against because of their race as refugees.”
South Africa has a history of taking positions against the United States and its allies, the fact sheet noted. “Merely two months after the October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel, South Africa accused Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice. South Africa also strengthened ties with Iran, which supports terrorism globally.”
“While championing terrorism and autocratic regimes abroad,” the fact sheet noted that “South Africa has committed similar human rights violations at home. The South African government has enacted “countless government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business.” Moreover, “hateful rhetoric and government actions” have fueled “disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.”
“Years ago, the South African government disbanded volunteer forces defending rural farmers, turning a blind eye to the ensuing farm attacks,” the fact sheet added.
President Trump’s America First agenda includes a commitment to human rights. As he said, “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people very badly. ... I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”
Indeed, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made clear on X he will not be attending the November G20 summit in Johannesburg. “South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote ‘solidarity, equality, & sustainability.’ In other words: DEI and climate change. My job,” declared Secretary Rubio, “is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism.”
President Trump is sending a clear message to the world’s bad actors - and to their victims – there is a price to pay for abusing human rights.