KEY POINTS
- Trump condemned the Boer chant and demanded Malema’s arrest.
- He said land seizures are targeting white farmers unfairly.
- U.S.-South Africa diplomatic ties have further deteriorated.
Tensions between the US and South Africa have increased as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that Julius Malema be arrested for the “Kill the Boer” shout.
Trump demands Malema’s arrest over Boer chant remarks
Concerning bilateral relations, Trump made the call during a White House meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday.
The summit, which sought to reduce escalating diplomatic and economic tensions, was attended by senior government officials and business representatives from both nations.
Trump’s demand came after a video of EFF leader Malema talking about land reform in Parliament went viral, sparking political outrage and international attention.
The Economic Freedom Fighters have rejected the context of the video, claiming that political rivals purposefully misrepresented Malema’s statements in order to deceive the public.
According to Bulawayo24, since the start of Trump’s second term, tensions between Washington and Pretoria have persisted, particularly in light of South Africa’s contentious land reform initiatives.
Trump has vehemently opposed land redistribution initiatives, claiming that South Africa has taken land from white Afrikaner farmers by force, a claim that Pretoria denies.
After the U.S. government cut HIV/AIDS funding to South Africa in February, raising concerns among international health advocates, tensions escalated once more.
Land seizure accusations add fuel to diplomatic breakdown
When 49 white South Africans were granted asylum by the United States on the grounds of racial persecution—a claim that Pretoria vehemently disputes—the situation deteriorated.
Through Truth Social and X, the former name of Twitter, Trump criticized South Africa’s Expropriation Act earlier this year, calling it an unwarranted confiscation.
Trump asked in one of his posts if the United States should go to the G20 meeting in a nation that is engaging in “land genocide.”
“They are stealing white farmers’ land and then murdering them and their families,” he wrote. Are we supposed to be here?
