Why Trump has threatened to cut off all future funding to South Africa
As the geographical spread of US President Donald Trump’s pronouncements increases, so do the furrowed worry lines of leaders worldwide.
Day 14 of the Trump presidency brought threats of a global trade war and news of the likely demise of USAID – the US international aid and development agency.
But the 78-year-old also spent his time complaining that “South Africa is confiscating land” and “certain classes of People” were being treated “VERY BADLY” in a post on his Truth Social website.
He threatened to cut off all future funding to the country until a full investigation is carried out – so, what is actually going on?
Well, Mr Trump has decided to re-energise a far-right cause celebre which rests on the allegation that white people in South Africa are being marginalised – and subjected to “genocide” at the hands of the country’s black majority.
Examples of this alleged behaviour take various forms – including a bill recently signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, which gives the government the power to expropriate land without financial compensation.
The law is designed to help redress the impact of decades of white minority rule in South Africa under the apartheid regime.
Donald Trump has threatened to cut off funding to South Africa over a new law. Pic: Reuters
Three decades after Nelson Mandela led the country into the democratic era, white farmers still own the vast majority of farmland nationwide.
White landowners possess three-quarters of South Africa’s freehold farmland, compared with 4% for black landowners. Black people make up about 80% of South Africa’s total population while about 8% are white.
The new legislation limits land expropriation to circumstances where it is “just and equitable and in the public interest” to do so – for example, situations where the property is not being used – or attempts to reach a financial settlement with the owner have failed.
Read more:
USAID ‘shut down’ will erode influence in increasingly dangerous world
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Cyril Ramaphosa insisted “the South African government has not confiscated any land”. File pic: Reuters
In response to the president’s missive, Mr Ramaphosa mounted the following response: “The South African government has not confiscated any land.
“The recently adopted Expropriation Act is not a confiscation instrument, but a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in an equitable and just manner.”
The second part of the genocide claim is fuelled by the number of violent attacks on landowners in rural areas.
Right-wing groups in South Africa say white farmers are targeted because of their race while the authorities do little – or nothing – to protect them.
However, analysts say farm attacks reflect the country’s desperately high rates of violent crime.
One thing is certain – Mr Trump’s comments on South Africa land ownership reflect the influence that South Africa-born billionaire Elon Musk has on the US president.
Responding on X to Ramaphosa’s statement, Mr Musk said South Africa had “openly racist ownership laws,” suggesting white people are the victims.
Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said.
The statement said Mr Biden, who left the White House in January, is reviewing options for treatment with his physicians.
It read: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
File pic: Reuters
According to Cancer Research UK, a Gleason score of 9 means the cancerous cells “look very abnormal” and the disease is “likely to grow quickly”.
A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking has told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.
They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.
Mr Biden, 82, was the oldest person to ever serve as president, with concerns about his health raised regularly during his campaign for re-election last year.
After a poor debate against Donald Trump in June, he withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.
In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.
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A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.
The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.
Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.
The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.
Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.
Pic: AP
The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.
Pic: AP
Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.
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One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.
The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.
The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.
Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.
The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.
“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.
The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.
“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).
A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.
The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.
Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”
Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.
California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.
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