Trump Accused of Seeking to Sow Division among S’Africans

South Africa has accused US President Donald Trump of seeking to sow division after his tweet referring to the “large-scale killing of farmers”.

According to the BBC, Trump said he had asked his secretary of state to look into the matter of “seizing land from white farmers”.

South Africa’s presidential spokeswoman said Mr Trump was “misinformed”.

Last month, South Africa said it would go ahead with plans to amend the constitution, allowing land to be expropriated without compensation.

The redistribution of land was a fundamental principle of the governing African National Congress (ANC) during its struggle against white-minority rule.

But 24 years since apartheid ended, white people – who make up just 9% of the population – own 72% of the farmland held by individuals, according to government figures.

President Trump’s tweet followed a piece on Fox News about South Africa’s planned land reforms – and his tweet tagged Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

The official South African government Twitter handle later tweeted: “South Africa totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past.”(BBC)