Ramaphosa and Elon Musk discuss ‘misinformation’ after Trump aid threat.

By Lehlohonolo Lehana.

President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke to billionaire Elon Musk on misinformation about South Africa, the presidency said on Tuesday.

This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said, he would suspend aid to the country over its land reform policy.

Ramaphosa responded on Monday that the government had not confiscated any land and the policy was aimed at ensuring equitable public access to land.

South African-born billionaire Musk, who is close to Trump, had waded into the dispute on Monday with a post on X accusing South Africa of having “openly racist ownership laws”, suggesting white people were the victims.

The presidency said on X that Ramaphosa and Musk had spoken on Monday “on issues of misinformation and distortions” about South Africa.

“In the process, the President reiterated South Africa’s constitutionally embedded values of the respect for the rule of law, justice, fairness and equality,” it said, giving no further details.

Trump had already announced a temporary freeze on almost all foreign assistance as part of his “America First” agenda, pausing billions of dollars in global funding.

Last month, Ramaphosa signed a bill into law that would make it easier for the state to expropriate land in the public interest to address racial disparities in land ownership after apartheid ended in 1994.

According to the government, the bill does not allow it to expropriate property arbitrarily; the landowner must reach an agreement.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump stated: “I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed.”

In response, Department of International Relations and Cooperation said: “We trust Trump’s advisers will make use of the investigative period to attain a thorough understanding of South Africa’s policies within the framework of a constitutional democracy.

“It may become clear that our expropriation act is not exceptional, as many countries have similar legislation.”

Ramaphosa added that except for the AIDS relief programme run by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), no other significant funding is provided to South Africa by the United States.

Meanwhile Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with Chargé d’Affaires for the United States Mission to South Africa Dana Brown to discuss bilateral health cooperation and new US policies on aid. 

This is after Motsoaledi last week claimed the government was snubbed by Washington when it sought clarity on newly elected President Donald Trump’s announcement the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, also known as Pepfar, would be frozen.

According to a joint statement released by the Department of Health on Tuesday afternoon, the meeting took place on Monday. 

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