Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid.

Efforts to redress the inequality have drawn criticism from conservatives, including South Africa-born the world’s wealthiest person, Elon Musk, who is a powerful Trump adviser.

Ramaphosa said in a statement that the South African government has not confiscated any land, after Trump’s claim in which he also accused the government of treating certain classes of people very badly and threatened to cut funding to the country.

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The government says the bill does not allow authorities to expropriate property arbitrarily and must first seek to reach an agreement with the owner.

It is a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in an equitable and just manner as guided by the Constitution.

It said they look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest, adding they are certain that out of those engagements, they will share a better and common understanding over these matters.

Ramaphosa’s statement said that except for aid from the PEPFAR anti-HIV/Aids initiative, which makes up 17 percent of South Africa’s HIV/Aids programme, there is no other significant funding that is provided by the United States in South Africa.

It added that the US remains a key strategic political and trade partner for South Africa.

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China and Africa should rally their populations together to become a powerful force and write a new chapter in peace, prosperity and progress, Xi said in a sweeping speech to delegates from more than 50 African nations as he sought to bolster relationships seen as key to Beijing’s position as a rising global power.

Flanked by African dignitaries seated on stage in the cavernous Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi said China-Africa relations are at their best in history, and vowed to elevate China’s bilateral relations with all African countries with which it has formal ties to the level of strategic relations.

Xi separately pledged another $280 million in aid to African countries, split evenly between military and food assistance. The announcements are a sign Beijing wants to demonstrate its commitment to the continent, despite a recent slowdown in its overseas development lending and as Africa struggles with its foreign debt, including those owed to China.

The pledge of $140 million in military aid is the largest amount that China has earmarked for this purpose at the three-yearly Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, signaling the increasing importance of security in the relationship between Beijing and its partners in Africa. 

Leaders including South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenya’s William Ruto and Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu assembled in the Chinese capital this week for the three-day forum that Beijing has hailed as its largest diplomatic gathering in years.

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Beijing has said this week’s China-Africa forum will be its largest diplomatic event since the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than a dozen leaders and delegations expected.

The Asian country has sent hundreds of thousands of workers to Africa to build its megaprojects while tapping the continent’s vast natural resources including copper, gold, lithium and rare earth minerals.

Its vast loans to the continent have funded infrastructure but also stoked controversy by saddling countries with huge debts.

China, the world’s number two economy, is Africa’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade hitting $167.8 billion in the first half of this year, according to Chinese state media.

Security is tight across Beijing, with roads and bus stops bedecked with banners declaring China and the continent are joining hands for a brighter future.

It was learnt among the leaders in the capital is South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who arrived early for a four-day visit during which he will also visit the southern tech powerhouse city of Shenzhen.

According to the South African presidency trade between China and South Africa soared to $38.8 billion in 2023.

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