South Africa denounces ‘deeply flawed' US human rights report
In its annual human rights report released Tuesday, the US State Department accused South Africa of taking 'a substantially worrying step toward land expropriation of Afrikaners and further abuses against racial minorities.'
Pretoria's foreign ministry expressed 'profound disappointment' over the findings, saying the report was 'an inaccurate and deeply flawed account' that failed to reflect the reality of its constitutional democracy.
A law signed this year by President Cyril Ramaphosa — and criticized by Trump — allows land expropriation without compensation in rare cases. Land ownership remains a contentious issue, with most farmland still owned by white South Africans three decades after the end of apartheid.
South Africa, Washington's third-largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, is seeking a deal to preserve tens of thousands of jobs in its agricultural, automotive, and textile sectors that depend heavily on the US market.
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