US President Donald Trump accused South Africa on Sunday of proceeding with land seizures after his counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa pushed a land expropriation law, announcing a cut in “all funding” to the country while an investigation is conducted by his administration.

At the end of January, the President of South Africa advanced a law that allows the government, under certain conditions and for reasons of public interest, to proceed with land expropriations without any compensation. The issue of land is deeply divisive in South Africa. The white minority, inheritors of the land expropriation policies that took place under apartheid, controls most of the land. Efforts to correct this inequality are strongly criticized by conservatives, among them the multi-billionaire Elon Musk, who was born in this country and is now very close to Donald Trump.

“South Africa is moving forward with land seizures and is treating certain groups of people very badly,” the Republican president wrote on Truth Social, typing the words “VERY BADLY” in capital letters, as he typically does for emphasis.

“I will cut off all future funding for South Africa until a full investigation into this situation is completed!” the US president added.

Pretoria argues that the law’s text does not allow authorities to carry out land expropriations arbitrarily and that, in principle, they must first attempt to reach an agreement with the landowner.

Some critics of the text fear that it could lead to a situation similar to that of neighboring Zimbabwe after its independence. In the early 2000s, around 4,000 of the 4,500 large white landowners were forcibly expelled from their land to benefit black farmers, under the orders of President Robert Mugabe’s government. The initiative had the declared goal of correcting the inequalities inherited from the period of British colonial rule. However, in practice, the expropriated land was given to regime allies without equipment or necessary expertise, causing a collapse in production. The reform ultimately led to a catastrophic economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

Trump: USAID is Run by Crazy Extremists

Meanwhile, Trump also referenced the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), claiming it is run by “crazy extremists” who need to be “thrown out” before decisions are made about the agency’s future. Asked by the press what would happen to the agency, whose officials had been placed on administrative leave, Trump argued that USAID is “run by crazy extremists” who need to be “thrown out” and “then we’ll make a decision” on its future.

Recall that two senior security officials from USAID were placed on administrative leave on Saturday evening after they refused to grant access to employees from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was established by Elon Musk, to the agency’s systems.

According to sources cited by CNN, DOGE personnel demanded to be allowed into USAID’s headquarters in Washington and threatened to call authorities when the agency’s security officers blocked their access. They reportedly also sought access to USAID’s security systems, personnel records, and classified information, causing disruption and reactions. Two of the sources noted that DOGE’s requests included data that requires special security clearance and need-to-know access. This incident comes amid Trump’s escalating efforts to increase control over the federal administration, with analysts suggesting the aim is to cut costs and reform the state apparatus.

Musk’s Barrage of Attacks on USAID – Cites Scandals Against the Agency

In response to the revelations, Elon Musk launched a fierce attack on USAID, calling it a “criminal organization” and declaring on “X” that “it’s time for it to die”—a reference that connects to Trump’s previous statements about abolishing the agency and merging it with the State Department, as some of Trump’s close associates have claimed the agency is largely staffed by Democrats.

The tech mogul’s posts were accompanied by critical comments and reposts attacking the agency, with one repost particularly condemning the organization for “channeling $53 million to EcoHealth Alliance, which then used US taxpayers’ money to support research on increasing coronavirus functionality at the Wuhan laboratory—a study that likely led to the creation of COVID-19,” as stated in the text.

“Did you know that USAID, using your tax dollars, funded research into biological weapons, including COVID-19, which killed millions?” Musk wrote in his post on the platform “X,” which also included images of articles from prominent news outlets linking the agency to various scandals and to cooperation with intelligence services.

“With an annual budget exceeding $50 billion and activities in more than 100 countries, USAID has repeatedly been linked to intelligence agency activities. Former USAID head John Gilligan once admitted that the agency was full of CIA people… In 2013, a US diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks described the US strategy to undermine Venezuela’s government through USAID by ‘penetrating Chávez’s political base,’ ‘dividing Chavismo,’ and ‘isolating Chávez internationally,'” the post reposted by Musk states. At the same time, on Saturday, USAID’s website went offline, and a new page for the agency appeared on the State Department’s website. Additionally, USAID’s official account on “X” was deactivated.

Democrats and USAID Employees React

After his inauguration in January, Trump signed an executive order suspending foreign aid for 90 days, causing chaos within the agency as he fired many employees and canceled several active programs.

These moves have been met with strong discontent from Democrats, who argue that the president cannot unilaterally dismantle a federal agency without proper consultation.

It is worth noting that USAID, founded in 1961 during President John F. Kennedy’s administration, is the primary tool of the US government for providing humanitarian aid and promoting development worldwide, allocating billions of dollars each year to combat poverty, disease, and natural disasters.

Officials and former staff members of USAID have warned that integrating the agency into the State Department could destroy its development capabilities. As one former senior official noted, “The State Department does not have the expertise to manage such programs. If USAID disappears, the US will lose a crucial tool of its foreign policy.” Last week, around 60 senior USAID officials were placed on leave after being accused of attempting to bypass the executive order.vAt the same time, access to the agency’s public relations office systems was blocked, further intensifying uncertainty about USAID’s future.