South Africa has strongly rejected the United States’ latest human rights assessment, calling it “deeply flawed” and inaccurate just days after the Trump administration imposed punitive 30% tariffs on key South African exports.
The diplomatic spat intensified Tuesday when Pretoria’s foreign ministry expressed “profound disappointment” with the US State Department’s annual human rights report, which accused South Africa of taking “substantially worrying steps towards land expropriation of Afrikaners and further abuses against racial minorities.”
Tariffs hit key industries
The criticism comes as South Africa faces the highest US tariffs of any sub-Saharan African nation, with President Donald Trump targeting the country’s land and employment transformation policies designed to address persistent racial inequalities stemming from apartheid.
“We find the report to be an inaccurate and deeply flawed account that fails to reflect the reality of our constitutional democracy,” the foreign ministry stated in its response.
ALSO READ: Trump’s trade policies threaten SA’s economical growth
Land reform at center of dispute
The controversy centers partly on legislation signed this year by President Cyril Ramaphosa that permits land expropriation without compensation in exceptional circumstances – a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Trump’s administration.
Land ownership remains one of South Africa’s most contentious issues, with the majority of farmland still in white hands more than three decades after apartheid ended in 1994.
Economic stakes high
Despite the diplomatic tensions, South Africa continues to pursue a trade agreement with Washington, recognizing the critical importance of the relationship. The United States ranks as South Africa’s third-largest trading partner, with tens of thousands of jobs in agriculture, automotive, and textile sectors heavily dependent on US market access.
The ongoing dispute threatens to further strain relations between the two countries at a time when South Africa’s economy faces significant challenges and relies heavily on export revenues to support growth and employment.
ALSO READ: US rejects SA special envoy’s credentials
