ATM condemns Trump order cutting off US aid to SA due to land policy
ATM believes that the South African government's attempts to fix past wrongs and address ongoing inequalities since apartheid ended are being unfairly criticised.
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on 21 January 2025, in Washington, DC. Picture: AFP
JOHANNESBURG - The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has condemned United States (US) President Donald Trump's executive order to cut foreign aid to South Africa due to the country's land policy.
ATM believes that the South African government's attempts to fix past wrongs and address ongoing inequalities since apartheid ended are being unfairly criticised.
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ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona said the restoration of human dignity to South African citizens is closely tied to land restitution.
“For far too long, millions of South Africans have been forcibly removed from their ancestral land and deprived of their wealth by a system entrenched in white supremacy.”
ATM has also highlighted the broader geopolitical context, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, drawing parallels between the struggles of Palestinians and those of South Africans.
Ntshona emphasised the need for justice, equality, and human rights to be upheld in both contexts.
“The historical context reveals that Palestinians have been the custodians of their land long before the early 1900s. Having lived under the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years, any attempts to dismiss these truths is an affront to justice and human rights.”
In a statement, the ATM called on the Trump administration to refrain from spreading misinformation and to engage in constructive dialogue with the South African government.