Lamola says govt won't tire explaining expropriation laws to international community
On Sunday night, US President Donald Trump announced all funding to South Africa would cease pending a full investigation of its land redistribution policies.
Department of International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola. Picture: @RonaldLamola on X
CAPE TOWN - International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola says the government will not tire of explaining its expropriation laws to the international community, particularly the United States (US).
On Sunday night, US President Donald Trump announced all funding to South Africa would cease pending a full investigation of its land redistribution policies.
Trump believes land grabs have been taking place since the Expropriation Act came into force in January.
But Lamola said he would seek to meet with US secretary of state, Marco Rubio to set the record straight.
READ: Trump's reading of Expropriation Act a misunderstanding and a misinterpretation
In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump posted that South Africa was confiscating land, treating certain classes of people very badly, and committing human rights violations.
It’s prompted the Presidency to call for engagement with the Trump administration, and Lamola said he would be taking up the cudgels too.
“We will never get tired to engage the US or any other one on the factual and correct situation and policy positions in South Africa, so that the decisions are not taken on the basis of misinformation or propaganda.”
Lamola said the new expropriation law is in line with the constitution, followed a rigorous public participation and parliamentary process, and that such land reform policies are commonplace around the world including the US.
“In the US it’s called the eminent domain, in Great Britain it’s governed in various laws. There could be differences in terms of the purpose and articulation, but this is not an exception to South Africa.”
Lamola said South Africa’s relationship with the US is ever-evolving, and it would continue to engage with its State Department and Congress on all matters that affect the country’s bilateral relations.