Special Report: South African Faith Leaders Condemn Trump’s Economic Policies
JOHANNESBURG — President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw aid relief funding from South Africa has been described as a slap to God’s face.
The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa — representing approximately four million Christians in South Africa — stated that the sanctions against the country, which include termination of funding for Anti-Retroviral Treatment, are a punishment on the sick and those dying from HIV/Aids-related illnesses.
According to Foster Mohale, a spokesperson for the national department of health, roughly 7.8 million people in South Africa are living with HIV and 5.5 million are on ARVs.
Trump, whose administration has cut USAID and slapped tariffs on other nations in recent weeks, imposed sanctions on South Africa, stating white farmers are being killed and their farms forcefully seized without compensation. He signed an executive order in February saying he was addressing what he described as serious human rights violations occurring in South Africa.
In his order, Trump said the South African government overtly discriminates against ethnic minority descendants of settler groups.
“As long as South Africa continues to endorse bad actors globally and permits violent assaults on innocent and marginalized minority farmers, the United States will discontinue aid and assistance to the nation. The United States will implement a strategy to resettle these discriminated minorities in South Africa as refugees,” Trump said.
Concerns are that these sanctions are largely based on rumors, not facts. Brig. Athlenda Mathe, A national police spokesperson, said women, children, police officers and farm dwellers top the list of people murdered most in South Africa. Most farm dwellers are Black.
Mathe said from the 2020-2021 financial year to the period spanning 2023-2024, the police recorded 13,518 killings of women and 4,123 boy and girl children ages one month to 17. During this same period, there were 393 killings of police officers, both on and off duty; 101 farm dwellers'; 53 farmers; and 34 farm employees. Farms are mostly owned by whites and few Blacks.
But Linda Page, Chief Director Strategic Communications for South Africa’s Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development, stressed there are no incidents of forceful capture of land from white farmers by the state.
“The U.S. president has been fed with lies and has chosen to believe them without asking for any kind of proof. South Africa has laws and so if such invasion of someone’s farm were to happen at the hands of criminals, law enforcement would intervene,” Page said. “Land Reform in SA is governed by legislation and land for redistribution is acquired purchase from farmers on a willing buyer willing seller basis. And the payment of fair compensation.
“The state does not and has never forcibly removed any farmer from their farm since 1994. If any farmer’s land has been “grabbed” they would have reported such to the police among others, no such farmer exists in SA.”
Rev. Moss Ntlha serves as the general secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa. (Handout photo)
Punishing the Lord himself
While American Christians are divided on the job Trump has done in his first 100 days in office, South Africans — both white and Black — are not. They see it as a punishment against society’s most vulnerable.
The Rev. Moss Ntlha, general secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa, told Religion Unplugged the United States has chosen “to punish the sick and the dying is a tragedy that is a slap on the Lord’s face. His warning that at the end of history as we know it, He will tell us that whatever we did to the least, we did it to Him.
He added: “U.S. MAGA policy makers will realize at that point that it was not the poor, the sick and the hungry it was punishing, but the Lord Himself. The path to greatness is found by serving the least of these, not the wealthy, as Trump and his billionaire mates appear to think. As for the U.S. policy making, it lends credence to a suspicion that it is a tool of control and manipulating poor countries to comply with US policy choices.”
A pastor, who requested anonymity, said her daughter has been on ARVs since 2004.
“She is very hurt by President Trump’s decision. If people start buying ARVs for themselves she will not afford to buy them. She is unemployed and struggles to buy a full meal for herself and her children. I assist her financially,” she said.
Jaco van Wyk, a deaf reverend of the Dutch Reformed Church Effata-for-the-Deaf, said Trump cannot save people living with HIV.
“Unfortunately, Trump is not God. He may think he is a god. but he is just an instrument in this broken world,” van Wyk. “Unfortunately, Trump cannot save the people living with HIV and other sicknesses. He needs Jesus just as me and you. We need to trust God more for He is our provider and savior.”
Political Science Prof. Dirk Kotzé of the University of South Africa. (Handout photo)
Destabilizing communities
Mohale said the U.S. funding withdrawal does not affect access to ARVs, but 15,000 individuals on the U.S. payroll have lost their jobs.
“The government buys 90% of ARVs using fiscus and the rest of 10% comes from Global Fund. So, the government is capable of providing life-saving treatment to all those diagnosed with HIV in the country. Those funded by USAID have already been laid off, but those funded by CDC and PEPFAR are within 90 days period of review,” Mohale said.
However, Dr. Criselda Kananda, a Christian and a longtime HIV activist who has sustained a healthy and productive life for 25 years without antiretroviral therapy, said the cut of funds implications extend far beyond medication access.
“The loss of jobs for healthcare workers and support staff funded by USAID can destabilize communities and undermine the progress we have made in combating HIV related health challenges,” Kananda said. “It is crucial to understand that healthcare is not just about medications; it encompasses a comprehensive support system, including education through campaigns, counselling, and community outreach which all combined encourage more people to seek to know their status and preventing the spread.”
A South African lawyer and Christian, Hans Moolman said trade between countries and aid extended to other nations, including African ones, is inherently voluntary.
“With foreign aid, most of us have grown to understand that it comes from a place of care and promoting human dignity around the world. Expectations are higher from a proclaimed dominant Christian country led by self-proclaimed Christian leaders,” he said. “Somewhere, these supposed to be important underlying convictions were removed from the equation and considerations of sanctions. The extent to which we are dependent on foreign aid and our inability to fund the shortfalls that will occur as a result thereof will become measurable in huge suffering amongst South Africans who had no say and had nothing to do with the loss of this critical support. One can only hope that shared values and caring will pave the way for the restoration of relationships.”
Political Science Prof. Dirk Kotzé of the University of South Africa highlighted a few well-known points about murders on farms: They consistently represent a very small portion — as authorities have noted — of the overall murder rate each year.
“Black farm workers are often also victims of farm murders,” Kotzé said. “The murderers are often known to the farmers such as their own workers or related family. Labour disputes are often a cause of it.”
Kotzé said land invasions happen mostly near residential or urban areas. He clarified that lack of formal housing has caused low-income citizens to occupy parts of a farm near the town to establish informal settlements.
“If forceful removal of land from farmers is equal to expropriation without compensation, then I’m not aware of any cases,” he added. “Another possible form of forceful removal is what I already mentioned, namely informal settlements on farms. It did happen but then in most instances the municipal authorities later bought the occupied land from the owners. I’m not aware of any land occupation for farming or agricultural purposes. Cattle and sheep theft is a serious problem in parts of South Africa.
“In some cases, black farm workers are killed in the process of pursuing the criminals. In conclusion, farm murders and statistics have become a highly politicized issue.”
Vicky Abraham is an investigative journalist based in South Africa and has reported for the Mail & Guardian, City Press, Assist News, the Nation newspaper in Nigeria and Nation Media Group in Kenya.