Fantasy or reality? South Africans react to Trump's resettlement plan - Video
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in South Africa's coalition government, has filed a court challenge against a land expropriation act it deems "unconstitutional."
The law, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month, allows the government to offer "nil compensation" for expropriated property under certain conditions deemed in the public interest.
The controversial legislation has sparked international tension, with former US President Donald Trump claiming it enables land seizures targeting white farmers.
Trump, whose ally Elon Musk was born in apartheid-era South Africa, reportedly ordered a freeze on aid to the country in response.
Land ownership remains a highly sensitive issue in South Africa, where most farmland is still owned by white South Africans despite the end of apartheid over three decades ago. The legacy of colonial-era and apartheid expropriation continues to fuel debates over land reform.
In its statement, the DA described the act as "vague and contradictory" and argued it breached constitutional provisions. The party, South Africa’s only white-led political group, emphasized concerns about the legality and clarity of the legislation.
The new law replaces a 1975 apartheid-era regulation and seeks to align land policies with the current constitution. However, fears persist that the move could echo Zimbabwe's early 2000s crisis when white farmers lost their land without compensation, destabilizing the economy.
South Africa's government on Saturday condemned what it called a "campaign of misinformation," rejecting Trump's claims and reiterating that expropriation without compensation would be used only in "exceptional and justifiable" cases.
