Donald Trump’s South Africa tweet ‘demonstrates a total ignorance of reality’, Nelson Mandela's grandson says

Politician criticises Us president's comments about South African land redistribution proposals

Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela attends an event in Johannesburg, South Africa (Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Nelson Mandela’s grandson has criticised Donald Trump for his recent tweet about South Africa, saying it “demonstrates a total ignorance of reality” on the part of the US president.

Mr Trump claimed that the South African government was “seizing land from white farmers” and warned of a “large-scale killing of farmers”.

He was referring to a controversial land redistribution proposals currently under consideration by the South African government.

Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela, a member of the Pan African Parliament, said that Mr Trump’s tweet showed "disrespect for South Africa’s sovereignty and our commitment to justice and redress”.

Writing on Instagram, he said: “We will not be dictated to, threatened or pressured into accepting a land deal that perpetuates the injustices of the past."

He added that the US president would “be better served by dealing with his own domestic challenges and the fundamental issues that the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign raises.”

Mr Mandela is the grandson of former South African president Nelson Mandela, who lead the country through the difficult transition after the end of apartheid – a government-run system of discrimination against black South Africans.

The current land redistribution proposal is an attempt to remedy the inequalities that still linger from apartheid, which left white South Africans with nearly 90 per cent of the country’s land when the policy ended in 1994.

Mr Mandela’s party, the African National Congress (ANC), has suggested a new plan that would allow the government to expropriate land from white farmers without compensation.

The plan, which is still under debate by the country’s parliament, has sparked widespread debate.

Commenting on the proposals, Mr Trump wrote: “I have asked Secretary of State [Mike Pompeo] to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. ‘South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers’."

The South African government also out against Mr Trump’s tweet, saying that the country “totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past”.

"It is regrettable that the tweet is based on false information," the country's foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that their foreign ministry planned to reach out to Mr Pompeo about the issue.