Trump orders 'study' of South African land seizures, alleged murders of white farmers

[Charlemagne]

Trump orders 'study' of South African land seizures, alleged murders of white farmers

KARMA ALLEN

Good Morning America
August 23, 2018, 10:51 AM EDT

Trump orders 'study' of South African land seizures, alleged murders of white farmers

Trump orders 'study' of South African land seizures, alleged murders of white farmersoriginally appeared on abcnews.go.com

President Donald Trump asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to "closely study" South Africa land seizures, citing what he referred to as the "large scale" killings of farmers there.

Trump made the announcement via Twitter late Wednesday in the wake of a controversial plan by the South African government that would allow for the expropriation of land without compensation. The tweet appeared to make reference to a Fox News report hours earlier that linked the proposed measure to racism and alleged murders of white farmers.

"I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. 'South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.' @TuckerCarlson @FoxNews,'" Trump tweeted.

The president did not immediately provide evidence to back up his claim that farmers were being killed on a "large scale."

The South African government responded to the allegations Thursday, mentioning Trump in a pair of tweets sent from its official Twitter account. It said it "totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past. #landexpropriation @realDonaldTrump @PresidencyZA."

"South Africa will speed up the pace of land reform in a careful and inclusive manner that does not divide our nation," it added in a subsequent tweet, tagging Trump.

Trump posted the tweet around 10:30 p.m. EST, shortly after Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" aired a report that called the seizures "far more racist than anything Donald Trump has ever done."

"South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has just begun the process of seizing land from his own citizens, without compensation, purely due to their skin color," Carlson said. "That's far more racist than anything Donald Trump has ever done, of course, but elites in America barely even care."

The proposal has drawn the ire of critics, who say it would disenfranchise white citizens.

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa announced earlier that the ruling African National Congress had agreed to alter the country's constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation.

The measure has not been signed into law.

South African Deputy President David Mabuza arrives at the Zwartkloof Game Resenge ahead of his address at the Landbou Weekblad and AgriSA land summit. (South African Government, via Twitter)More

But Ramaphosa said the land reform measure is "key to stability" since whites control a vast majority of the country's land, while blacks make up nearly 80 percent of the country's population.

He said if the proposal is signed into law, it would help heal the "festering wound" of land dispossession and inequality.

"The urban spatial patterns that we inherited from apartheid, and which persist to this day, contribute to the reproduction of poverty and inequality -- and must be fundamentally changed," Ramaphosa said this week in a statement. "It is unacceptable that the working class and poor, who are overwhelmingly black, are located far from work opportunities and amenities."

South Africa's ANC government has been expropriating and redistributing land for years, but it has not passed any legislation to allow for expropriation without compensation as of yet. The proposal is currently being debated in parliament and via local referendums.

South African Deputy President David Mabuza aimed to dispel "falsehoods" associated with the proposal while speaking at a land summit on Tuesday.

"We would like to discourage those who are using this sensitive and emotive issue of land to divide us as South Africans by distorting our land reform measures to the international community, and spreading falsehoods that our 'white farmers' are facing the onslaught from their own government. This is far from the truth," Mabuza said in prepared remarks. "Land has always been a sensitive matter, and it is at the heart of ordinary people's daily struggles for economic participation and social empowerment."

"As the leadership of the ANC and government," Mabuza added, "we are clear that the implementation of land reform measures must not result in social fractures and racial polarization."

ABC News' Candace Smith contributed to this report.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/trump-orders-study-south-african-land-seizures-alleged-105212218--abc-news-topstories.html?soc_src=community&soc_trk=fb

 

[danmand]

South Africa hits back at 'unfortunate' Trump tweet on land reform
By James Masters, David McKenzie and Brent Swails, CNN

Updated 12:41 PM ET, Thu August 23, 2018
Trump tweet attacks South African land reform


Johannesburg (CNN)South Africa hit back at Donald Trump on Thursday after the US President criticized the country's land reform policies in an overnight tweet.

The controversy began when Trump tweeted late Wednesday that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to "closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers."

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump
I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. “South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.” @TuckerCarlson @FoxNews

10:28 PM - Aug 22, 2018

Trump's tweet appeared to be in response to a report on Fox News which alleged that the South African government was "seizing land from white farmers."
On Thursday, the South African government said Trump's tweet was "based on false information" and said it would call on the US Embassy to explain the President's remarks.
"South Africa totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past," the government tweeted. "South Africa will speed up the pace of land reform in a careful and inclusive manner that does not divide our nation."

South African Government

@GovernmentZA
South Africa totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past. #landexpropriation @realDonaldTrump @PresidencyZA

2:00 AM - Aug 23, 2018

"Hysterical comments and statements do not assist in the process," Khusela Diko, spokeswoman for President Cyril Ramaphosa, told CNN. "The majority of South Africans want to see land reform. The majority of our farmers, white and black want to be a part of this initiative."
A complex and racially-charged issue
Land is a complex issue in South Africa. Racist policies of the past forcefully removed black and non-white South Africans from the land for white use.
There has been a land redistribution and restitution provision in the country's constitution since South Africa held its first democratic elections in 1994. The government has been criticized for not moving quickly enough to settle land disputes.
The political debate over land reform has stepped up a level ahead of next year's elections.
Farm seizures, as described in the Fox report, are not ongoing in South Africa. However, President Ramaphosa announced on July 31 that the ruling African National Congress would seek to change the country's constitution to explicitly allow land that was seized during apartheid to be expropriated without compensation.

On Wednesday, Ramaphosa told parliament that expropriations formed one part of a broader land redistribution and agricultural development program that would only be introduced following public and parliamentary consultation.
"Acceleration of land redistribution is necessary not only to redress a grave historical injustice, but also to bring more producers into the agricultural sector and to make more land available for cultivation," he said.
In an article published in the UK's Financial Times early Thursday, Ramaphosa described access to land as one of the areas where "severe inequality between black and white South Africans" is "most devastating."
Killings of farmers at a 20-year low
Despite Trump's claims about the "large scale killing of farmers," research published in June 2018 by AgriSA, one of the country's largest farmer organizations, showed that killings had reached a 20-year low.
Forty-seven farmers were killed in 2017-18, according to AgriSA, marking a steady decline from the 153 farmers who lost their lives in 1998.
Crime is a serious problem in South Africa more broadly. There were more than 19,016 murders nationwide in 2017, according to police statistics, a slight increase from 2016.
The New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said it was "extremely disturbing" to see Trump echoing "a longstanding and false white supremacist claim that South Africa's white farmers are targets of large-scale, racially-motivated killings by South Africa's black majority."
In a statement Thursday, the ADL called on Trump to "understand the facts and realities of the situation in South Africa, rather than repeat disturbing, racially divisive talking points."
Tweet was 'ill-informed' and 'incendiary'
In a speech to farmers in Bela Bela, Limpopo, which was prepared before Trump's tweet, South Africa's deputy president David Mabuza insisted the government would "discourage" those aiming to divide the country over land reform.
"We would like to discourage those who are using this sensitive and emotive issue of land to divide us as South Africans by distorting our land reform measures to the international community, and spreading falsehoods that our 'white farmers' are facing the onslaught from their own government," he said.
"This is far from the truth."
Trump is not the first foreign politician to take aim at South Africa's land reform policies.
In March, South Africa reacted sharply after Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton suggested white South African farmers should receive special visas due to the "horrific circumstances" they faced at home.
Ruth Hall, a leading expert on land issues in South Africa and a professor at the University of the Western Cape, described Trump's tweet as "ill-informed."
Obama warns against 'strongman politics' in speech after Trump news conference
Obama warns against 'strongman politics' in speech after Trump news conference
"The kind of statement that Trump made is characteristic of him. It is unfortunate, ill-informed, it is incendiary. What it does demonstrate is that the white right wing in South Africa has been successful in internationalizing their agenda," Hall told CNN.
"It also puts a spanner in the works of the concerted effort that President Ramaphosa has been making to clarify the land reform issue to the international community and investors. The government has clearly stated that there will be no land grabs."
Trump's tweet comes a month after his predecessor, Barack Obama, delivered a speech alongside Ramaphosa in Johannesburg in which he warned against the rise of "the politics of fear."
Obama's speech was seen by observers as a veiled criticism of some of Trump's policies.

 

[apoptygma]

How many minutes until the US Embassy is expelled from South Africa?
WTF does SA need from the US anyways? Red-neck trophy hunters?

 

[bver_hunter]

How many minutes until the US Embassy is expelled from South Africa?
WTF does SA need from the US anyways? Red-neck trophy hunters?

But Trump told his Trumptard Cult followers that he knows all the secret and confidential information regarding everything that occurs round the world. He even knows more than all the Intel Agencies. Ask any of these cult followers about it and they will back him.

 

[jcpro]

Really, you people are this despicable that you'll shut your eyes to injustice and naked racism because Trump is opposing it??? What are you going to do when he endorses puppies and kittens ? Are you going to follow Pelosi and defend MS-13??? Not many defenders of the Venezuelan experiment are left, these days. It looks like the same cockroaches are now going to be excusing South African crimes. Well, to hell with fucking ANC Marxists and if they want to destroy their country-great. But, when they're starving, and they will, they can rot in their own shit.

 

[apoptygma]

But Trump told his Trumptard Cult followers that he knows all the secret and confidential information regarding everything that occurs round the world. He even knows more than all the Intel Agencies. Ask any of these cult followers about it and they will back him.

South Africa is South Africa, or it isn't South Africa.
And land reform isn't land reform, or it is land reform.

I hope that cleared things up for the plebs... they aren't going to get this clarity on FOX.

 

[apoptygma]

Really, you people are this despicable that you'll shut your eyes to injustice and naked racism because Trump is opposing it??? What are you going to do when he endorses puppies and kittens ? Are you going to follow Pelosi and defend MS-13??? Not many defenders of the Venezuelan experiment are left, these days. It looks like the same cockroaches are now going to be excusing South African crimes. Well, to hell with fucking ANC Marxists and if they want to destroy their country-great. But, when they're starving, and they will, they can rot in their own shit.

But there are good white supremacists in the good ol' US of A... and you are your ilk are OK with that.
But you are so offended with SA now that your impotent orangutan was on a KFC bender and tweeted some garbage while he was on the shitter.

 

[LT56]

This debunked “White Genocide in South Africa” meme has been circulated amongst Far Right white nationalist groups for a couple of years now. Not surprising Trump has latched onto it.

 

[derrick76]

Really, you people are this despicable that you'll shut your eyes to injustice and naked racism because Trump is opposing it??? What are you going to do when he endorses puppies and kittens ? Are you going to follow Pelosi and defend MS-13??? Not many defenders of the Venezuelan experiment are left, these days. It looks like the same cockroaches are now going to be excusing South African crimes. Well, to hell with fucking ANC Marxists and if they want to destroy their country-great. But, when they're starving, and they will, they can rot in their own shit.

You wanted apartheid to stay in place. We know. We know. The anger is flowing right out of you. Let it be free.

 

[Butler1000]

The genocide is false.

But the land grab? Heading into Zimbabwe territory here.

Who wants to do business with a nation where your assets can be arbitrarily seized without legal reason and recourse?

 

[jcpro]

The genocide is false.

But the land grab? Heading into Zimbabwe territory here.

Who wants to do business with a nation where your assets can be arbitrarily seized without legal reason and recourse?

The same people who are doing business with Venezuela. LOL!

 

[jcpro]

You wanted apartheid to stay in place. We know. We know. The anger is flowing right out of you. Let it be free.

Where did I say that? So,I gather that you're a okay with injustice and racism. Good for you.

 

[derrick76]

The genocide is false.

But the land grab? Heading into Zimbabwe territory here.

Who wants to do business with a nation where your assets can be arbitrarily seized without legal reason and recourse?

USofA

 

[Charlemagne]

Really, you people are this despicable that you'll shut your eyes to injustice and naked racism because Trump is opposing it??? What are you going to do when he endorses puppies and kittens ? Are you going to follow Pelosi and defend MS-13??? Not many defenders of the Venezuelan experiment are left, these days. It looks like the same cockroaches are now going to be excusing South African crimes. Well, to hell with fucking ANC Marxists and if they want to destroy their country-great. But, when they're starving, and they will, they can rot in their own shit.

Get off the drugs junkie!

 

[jcpro]

Get off the drugs junkie!

LOL!!!!! And a few short years from now you'll be right here cutting and pasting how the West is responsible for the demise of South Africa. So predictable, it's a cliche.

 

[bver_hunter]

As usual Trump has caught the bull by the tail:

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry...conspiracy-theory_us_5b7f2d38e4b0729515115d9d

No wonder that he is praised by the alt right Neo Nazis and White Supremacists for such an ignorant racist approach.

 

[jcpro]

As usual Trump has caught the bull by the tail:

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry...conspiracy-theory_us_5b7f2d38e4b0729515115d9d

No wonder that he is praised by the alt right Neo Nazis and White Supremacists for such an ignorant racist approach.

And few short months ago "expropriation without compensation" was legitimate news from Bloomberg to the lefty Economist. Now that Trump spoke about it... This actually is surreal. https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.was...alse-claim-about-murders-south-african-farms/ - this is a Wapo's take. Read very carefully.

 

[Liminal]

And few short months ago "expropriation without compensation" was legitimate news from Bloomberg to the lefty Economist. Now that Trump spoke about it... This actually is surreal. https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.was...alse-claim-about-murders-south-african-farms/ - this is a Wapo's take. Read very carefully.

From your own link it looks like "expropriation without compensation " was first visited upon the non-white population by whites through legislation. They just voted most of the country to themselves: "Colonists in 1913 approved a law that restricted the African population to slightly more than 10 percent of South Africa’s land, while the white minority was entitled to the rest."

 

[jcpro]

From your own link it looks like "expropriation without compensation " was first visited upon the non-white population by whites through legislation. They just voted most of the country to themselves: "Colonists in 1913 approved a law that restricted the African population to slightly more than 10 percent of South Africa’s land, while the white minority was entitled to the rest."

That's just the saw dust in the sausage to muddle the issue. The stated goal of the ANCis expropriation. The stated goal of the government is to find legal means (for now) to reach it. What is the left arguing? This looks like the 1980s when the Western European unions couldn't bring themselves to support Polish workers because they were in a conflict with the Communists. Live long enough, see it all. Again.

 

[Liminal]

That's just the saw dust in the sausage to muddle the issue. The stated goal of the ANCis expropriation. The stated goal of the government is to find legal means (for now) to reach it. What is the left arguing? This looks like the 1980s when the Western European unions couldn't bring themselves to support Polish workers because they were in a conflict with the Communists. Live long enough, see it all. Again.

I know it hurts when you score an own goal but suck it up. Your own source confirms that it was whites that expropriated with compensation for their own benefit and this resulted in non-whites not sharing any wealth and power for decades. Now, if you are colour blind (please don't score an own goal again!), you'll be outraged by this racist act and understand how this has to be unwound.