The South African government on Wednesday dismissed the US State Department’s latest assessment of the nation’s human rights conditions as both “inaccurate and deeply flawed.” This week, the Trump administration’s report asserted that the state of human rights in South Africa had “significantly worsened” throughout the year 2024.
The report specifically cited the unjust treatment of white Afrikaners after land reforms, which the administration claimed discriminates against the group that ruled during apartheid. South Africa’s Foreign Ministry expressed its profound disappointment with the report, citing its reliance on out-of-context and discredited information as highly concerning.
The ministry also highlighted that the UN had praised the country’s Land Expropriation Act as a crucial step in resolving racially unequal land ownership. The South African government also dismissed claims that it “did not take credible steps to investigate, prosecute and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.”
The ministry found the report ironic, considering the United States’ recent exit from the UN Human Rights Council and its own human rights issues. The US criticism is the latest in a series of tense diplomatic exchanges that have occurred between the two countries since President Donald Trump was re-elected.
During a May state visit, Trump confronted President Cyril Ramaphosa with false claims that South Africa had been illegally occupying the farms of white Afrikaner farmers. The administration also notably sped up visa applications for Afrikaners who wanted to relocate to the United States as refugees.
Along with imposing tariffs, Trump has denounced South Africa’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict and suspended financial aid to the nation. South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was expelled by the US for his pointed criticism of President Trump, further escalating the tensions.