South Africa condemns 'misinformation' after Trump freezes aid

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa condemned on Saturday US President Donald Trump's decision to freeze aid to the country over a law he alleged allows land to be seized from white farmers.

"We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation," the government said.

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"It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favour among decision-makers in the United States of America."

The law would "enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners' agricultural property without compensation", Trump alleged in an executive order, which also noted foreign policy clashes between the two countries over the war in Gaza.

South Africa said it "has taken note" of Trump's executive order, but added: "It is of great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa's profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid."

Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid and the government under pressure to implement reforms.