US ready to resettle 'persecuted South African farmers'

The US government is ready to resettle "persecuted South African farmers," according to a State Department official's statement on Saturday, following the US administration's decision to suspend aid to South Africa over legislation that President Donald Trump claims permits the confiscation of white-owned farmland.

"Persecuted South African farmers and other innocent victims being targeted solely based on their race who choose to resettle in America will be welcome," State Department representative Tammy Bruce posted on X.

Bruce further stated that the US would protect the interests of settler descendants who face potential uncompensated property seizures and other unacceptable treatment.

This announcement follows Trump's Friday executive directive halting US assistance to South Africa.
Trump's executive order stated that the legislation would "enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners' agricultural property without compensation."

South African officials reject this interpretation, dismissing it as "misinformation."

The legislation, endorsed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last month, allows for possible "nil compensation" when the government acquires property deemed in the public interest.

The distribution of land remains a disputed topic in South Africa, with white landowners still controlling most agricultural properties thirty years after apartheid's dissolution, while the government faces calls for reform implementation.

Musk, a close Trump associate, has criticised the Ramaphosa administration for maintaining what he terms "openly racist ownership laws."