White House Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Addresses Human Rights Violations in South Africa

ADDRESSING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA: On Friday, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to address serious human rights violations occurring in South Africa.

• As encapsulated in its recent land confiscation act to seize disfavored citizens' property without compensation, the government of South Africa blatantly discriminates against ethnic minority descendants of settler groups.

• As long as South Africa continues to support bad actors on the world stage and allows violent attacks on innocent disfavored minority farmers, the United States will stop aid and assistance to the country.

• The United States will establish a plan to resettle disfavored minorities in South Africa discriminated against because of their race as refugees.

STANDING UP AGAINST INJUSTICE AND OPPRESSION: President Donald J. Trump is committed to holding South Africa accountable for its actions.

• South Africa has taken positions against the United States and its allies.
  • 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, South Africa has committed similar human rights violations at home. The recent Expropriation Act enables the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority descendants of settler groups' agricultural property without compensation.         
  • The Expropriation Act follows countless government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business, and hateful rhetoric and government actions fueling 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.

REAFFIRMING OUR COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS: A commitment to human rights is central to President Trump's America First agenda.

• President Trump: "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!"

• President Trump believes in sending a clear message to the world's bad actors—and to their victims—by condemning human rights abuses in no uncertain terms.