South Africa's Opposition Sues to Block Controversial Land Seizure Law After Trump Criticism

A legal challenge against a controversial new land seizure law at the centre of a row with US President Donald Trump has been filed by the Democratic Alliance (DA), which is part of South Africa's coalition government. The Expropriation Act allows for private land to be seized by the government without compensation in certain cases. Trump has frozen foreign aid to the country as a result, alleging that land is being confiscated already.

The U.S. president last week signed an executive order cutting financial assistance to South Africa, citing the land expropriation act and Pretoria's genocide case against Israel, Washington's close ally, at the International Court of Justice. The Trump administration said Afrikaners, the descendants of predominantly Dutch 17th century settlers, could come to the United States as refugees, lending credence to AfriForum's complaint that they are being persecuted, which is disputed by the South African government and most political parties.

The statement did not refer to Trump, and the DA has opposed the legislation for several years, but his criticism has rocked South African politics. The DA is currently in a coalition with the country’s largest party, the African National Congress (ANC), at a national level. The fight over expropriation has increased tensions within the coalition.