"South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY," Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday, emphasizing his words in all caps to grab attention. "I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!" he added.

In response, South Africa on Monday said that Pretoria did “not confiscate” 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,” said a statement from the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Also, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa took to X, urging President Trump to delve into the issue before jumping to conclusions. “We trust that President Trump's advisors will leverage this investigative period to deepen their understanding of South Africa's policies as a constitutional democracy,” Ronald Lamola said.

The South African diplomat went on to say that “such insights will ensure a respectful and informed approach to our democratic commitments.”

When Trump wrote “VERY BADLY” in his social message all caps, he tried to show himself as an advocate of “certain classes of people” being oppressed, as he implied, by South Africa.

Nearly two weeks ago, after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, Trump issued an executive order lifting sanctions against violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. The sanctions had been imposed by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.

“Lifting sanctions on extremist settlers encourages them to commit more crimes against our people,” the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the Israeli regime has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River, which Palestinians want as the core of an independent state. The regime has built settlements there, which are illegal under international law.

South Africa's move against oppression

Back in late December 2023, South Africa lodged proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the regime’s violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention, which both Israel and South Africa are party to, regarding Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The suit lists genocidal actions such as the killing of Palestinians in Gaza, especially children; destruction of their homes; their expulsion and displacement; blockade on food, water, and medical assistance to the strip; and measures preventing Palestinian births by destroying essential health services crucial for the survival of pregnant women and babies.