EFF leader Julius Malema. Picture: Facebook/Economic Freedom Fighters
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has taken shots at United States (US) President Donald Trump’s decision to halt funding to South Africa, saying a sovereign country should not be dictated to.
Trump announced on Sunday that his administration would be cutting off all future funding to South Africa over the signing of the Expropriation Bill last month.
He claimed in a social media post that SA was “treating certain classes of people very badly” and said no funding would be released until investigations had been conducted into the matter.
ALSO READ: Trump to cut off ‘all future funding’ to SA amid investigation into land expropriation
Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, Malema labelled Trump’s comments as offensive and said it undermines the country’s sovereignty.
“There is nothing he can do to undermine our independence,” he added.
Malema said Trump’s threats would not stop the country from taking the necessary steps to expropriate land.
“We want to make it categorically clear to the US president that we will expropriate land without compensation and pursue legislative measures to do so, and no threat will stop us.
He said reliance on foreign aid and foreign direct investment surrendered South Africa to “the will of imperialists who use the money to dictate the economic and policy direction of Africa”.
ALSO READ: Ramaphosa responds to Trump, says SA has ‘not confiscated any land’
Malema said that the Expropriation Act signed by Ramaphosa is nowhere close to the EFF policy, which highlights the expropriation of land without compensation.
“If anything, it tries to justify the compensation that properties and land can be expropriated.”
The EFF leader then added that BEE policy should be implemented in South Africa whether Elon Musk is involved or not.
“It must not be a policy for certain people and a policy for other people,” Malema said.
“Whatever Elon Musk wants to come and do here, he must make sure there is participation of the previously disadvantaged people — black people must participate.”
ALSO READ: ‘If they don’t give us money, let’s not give them minerals’: Mantashe hits back at Trump funding cut
Ramaphosa responded to Trump on Monday, saying that South Africa was not discriminating against any of its citizens and had 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 as guided by the constitution,” he said.
South Africa, along with the United States of America and other countries, has consistently enacted expropriation laws that strike a balance between facilitating public land use and safeguarding property owners’ rights.
“We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest.
“We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters,” said the Presidency.
The US remains a key strategic political and trade partner for South Africa. With the exception of PEPFAR Aid, which constitutes 17% of South Africa’s HIV/Aids programme.
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola hoped that Trump’s investigations would help him understand South Africa’s policy on land expropriation.
“Such insights will ensure a respectful and informed approach to our democratic commitments.”
He said South Africa “is a Constitutional democracy, and the expropriation law referenced is not an exception”.
“Many parts of the world have expropriation laws that are used in the public interest and for public purposes”.
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