South Africa’s Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has confirmed that the issue of land expropriation without compensation did not feature in trade discussions with US officials during ongoing bilateral talks in Washington, DC.
Speaking to media on Tuesday, Steenhuisen said, “The focus yesterday was on trade and how we can keep trade going. I've no doubt the matter will come up in the course of the period.”
The minister is part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s delegation currently in the United States ahead of a high-level meeting with President Donald Trump scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The visit comes amid tensions over South Africa’s Expropriation Act, which President Trump has previously criticized, alleging it could lead to the seizure of white-owned farms. His administration recently granted refugee status to a group of Afrikaners, further fuelling the diplomatic strain.
Steenhuisen, however, dismissed claims of a white genocide in South Africa but acknowledged safety concerns in rural farming communities.
“Farmers and farm workers do feel unsafe and insecure in many parts of rural areas, but it's no different to challenges faced in rural areas around other parts of the world,” he noted.
He reaffirmed that any land reform efforts must comply with Section 25 of the Constitution, ensuring fairness and equity in compensation.
“What we need to do is make sure that we focus policing resources there and that we have a far better synergy between local security initiatives by farmers and farming organisations and formal SAPS interventions in those rural areas,” Steenhuisen added.
The bilateral talks are expected to continue, with trade and investment remaining central to the agenda.