Land Reform: Trump's tweet about South Africa proves once again he doesn't understand Africa

Donald Trump fails to understand how apartheid set black South Africans back for decades.

President Donald Trump has rattled the nest once again and this time it's in South Africa and not Europe, South America, Eastern Europe or Asia.

It seems he has a plan to piss the whole world and not just Americans.

On Thursday, August 23, 2018, Trump tweeted that he had informed his Secretary of State to study the land and farm seizures going on in South Africa.

In his usual bumbling style, Trump has knowingly or unknowingly triggered a deep wound with black people in South Africa. It would also interest you that Fox shares the same opinion with Trump.

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa hit back without mincing words that, “The presidency has noted Trump’s tweet, which is misinformed in our view. We will take up the matter through diplomatic channels.”

The issue also prompted the South African government’s Twitter account to tweet in line with their president, “South Africa totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past. #landexpropriation @realDonaldTrump @PresidencyZA.”

To compound matters, right before demanding the presence of the American Ambassador to South Africa, Jessye Lapenn, the South African communications minister, Nomvula Mokonyane told eager reporters, “The tweet has not determined our approach to the United States on our current relationship and future relationship.”

As with most of Trump's tweets, it is far from the truth and neglects the decades of apartheid and racism in South Africa.

Nearly 90% of the land in South Africa is owned by the whites even though they make up just 10% of the population. With apartheid, an institutionalized racist system designed to disenfranchise native South Africans, Afrikaans (white South Africans) have had a monopoly on the land.

Though land reform has been mentioned for years since the end of apartheid, the recent government in South Africa seems to be willing to take a step further in ensuring that black South Africans reclaim their land.

Land reform is not as easy as it seems. In yesteryears, Zimbabwe unsuccessfully tried to expropriate land without compensation. Many thought South Africa was going to experience similar issues, but it has instead scaled to commendable heights while avoiding killings.

Trump's tweet will further do damage to his shaky relationship with Africa.

In January, President Trump’s infamous “shithole countries” description was protested to the United States Embassy in Pretoria while AfriForum, an organization that protests white South Africans’ rights called land expropriation “catastrophic.”