WAHINGTON, Feb 8: US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order formalizing his announcement earlier this week that he'll freeze assistance to South Africa, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported.
The White House claims the order will address human rights issues in the African nation for legislation aimed at addressing some of the wrongs of South Africa's racist apartheid era. In that time, Black people had land taken away from them and were forced to live in areas designated for non-whites, according to the German media outlet.
Washington claims the Expropriation Act, which allows the government to take land in specific instances. The act was signed into law by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last month, DW reported.
"As long as South Africa continues to support bad actors on the world stage and allows violent attacks on innocent disfavored minority farmers, the United States will stop aid and assistance to the country," the White House said in a summary of the order.
The White House said Trump would also announce a program to resettle white South African farmers and their families as refugees.
South African-born Elon Musk has highlighted that law in recent social media posts, casting it as a threat to South Africa's white minority, DW said in its report.
The order also references South Africa's role in accusations of genocide against Israel before the International Court of Justice, added DW.