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The South African government has hit back at President Trump's allegations that it's engaging in land grabs. Kate Bartlett reports from Johannesburg.
KATE BARTLETT, BYLINE: On Sunday, President Trump said the U.S. would cut aid to South Africa over what he termed the, quote, "human rights violations" it was committing against, quote, "certain classes of people." More than 30 years after the end of Apartheid, white South Africans, who account for over 7% of the population here, still own the vast majority of commercial farmland. South Africa passed a controversial law in January allowing the potential expropriation of land without compensation in some circumstances, but contrary to Trump's allegations, zero land has been seized. On Monday, the South African president's spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, offered a fact-check.
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VINCENT MAGWENYA: The recently adopted Expropriation Act is not a confiscation instrument but a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land.
BARTLETT: Even the Democratic Alliance, a party in the country's coalition government which was against the law, expressed concerns about Trump's threats. Here's spokesperson Willie Aucamp.
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WILLIE AUCAMP: It is not true that the Act allows land to be seized by the state arbitrarily, and it does require fair compensation for legitimate expropriations.
BARTLETT: One of Trump's key advisers, billionaire businessman Elon Musk, who was raised in apartheid South Africa, waded into the argument on Monday, criticizing what he termed the country's, quote, "racist laws." For NPR News, I'm Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg.
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