The South African Communist Party (SACP) has reiterated its support for land expropriation, in line with the Constitution, as it responded to US President Donald Trump's opposition to the policy.

On Sunday, Trump accused South Africa of "confiscating" land and "treating certain classes of people very badly", threatening to cut off all future funding to the country pending an investigation.

South Africa hit back at Trump's misinformation and stressed its sovereignty and democracy, while stating that there was no arbitrary dispossession of land or private property taking place in the country.

The SACP reiterated South Africa's national independence and said it rejected Trump's "imperialist agenda" and the "entire United States imperialism".

"South Africa is an independent country with its own democratic sovereignty and territorial integrity. We are not a colony of the United States or any other state for that matter: we fought against and shall fight against any attempts at undermining our national independence, democratic sovereignty and territorial integrity. The SACP rejects with the contempt it deserves the agenda by the United States to operate outside both international convention and democratic multilateralism and make itself the ruler of the world," it said.

Further, it stressed that the recently assented Expropriation Act repeals the apartheid-era Act and aims to redress past discrimination. It said Trump's opposition to the Act was hypocritical, racist, distorted and misleading given that he did not oppose the old legislation that saw racial land dispossession.

"For the record, Trump is not the President of South Africa - he is the president of the United States. We will not allow him to interfere in our internal affairs, undermine our democratic national sovereignty, or impose his reactionary will upon our people. The SACP remains resolute: South Africa belongs to all South Africans who live in it. We will not bow to imperialist threats. The struggle continues!," the SACP said.

The Portfolio Committee on Health emphasised the need for South Africa to strengthen its sovereignty in health matters and reduce reliance on foreign funding, calling on Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to prioritise local production of essential medications.

The committee also wants Motsoaledi to explore innovative funding mechanisms that could support health initiatives without depending on foreign aid.

The committee received a comprehensive briefing from Motsoaledi, regarding the recent withdrawal of funding from the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Last month, US President Donald Trump announced that his government would be halting all PEPFAR funding, which has funded the distribution of HIV/AIDS treatment in South Africa and other countries for years.

During the briefing, Motsoaledi highlighted PEPFAR's critical role in supporting various health initiatives, stating that about 7.8-million South Africans are living with HIV/AIDS - the highest number globally.

Motsoaledi emphasised that PEPFAR funding had been instrumental in addressing the needs of the 27 high-burden districts, which were selected for support based on specific criteria.

The committee also highlighted that the withdrawal of PEPFAR funding served as a wake-up call for the country to develop sustainable healthcare solutions independent of external influences.

The Minister noted that South Africa relied primarily on its own budget for antiretroviral treatment, with approximately 90% of the medication being locally funded.

During the discussions on the US withdrawal of PEPFAR funding, committee members had questions about the immediate and long-term implications of this decision.

"Members expressed concern that the suspension of funding could lead to significant disruptions in HIV prevention and treatment services, particularly in these 27 high-burden districts that rely heavily on PEPFAR support," said Health Committee chairperson Sibongiseni Dhlomo.

The committee also wanted to know about contingency plans for maintaining service delivery, the potential impact on patient care, and how the department intends to support the healthcare workforce affected by the funding cut.

Dhlomo highlighted that the committee sought clarity on how the government planned to address the anticipated shortfall and the measures that would be put in place to ensure that those living with HIV continued to receive the care they need.

HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

Meanwhile, concerns were raised about the rising numbers of qualified healthcare professionals who wee unable to find employment in the public sector.

The committee questioned the long-term implications of this trend on the healthcare sector, noting that an adequate workforce was essential for delivering effective health services, especially in underserved areas.

Committee members questioned the Minister about the current vacancy rates for medical positions and urged him to outline specific strategies for integrating newly qualified doctors into the healthcare system.

"Suggestions made included the need for a streamlined recruitment process, the development of internship programmes that guarantee employment upon completion, and collaboration with provincial health departments to prioritise hiring in areas with the greatest need. The committee urged the Minister to explore strategies for absorbing newly qualified healthcare practitioners into the public healthcare system," explained Dhlomo.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said on Thursday that South Africa's G20 Presidency in 2025 will not be confined to climate change but also to the equitable treatment of nations of the Global South.

"These are important principles that we remain open to pursue and engage the United States on," said Lamola.

This followed a social media post by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying he won't attend an upcoming meeting of foreign ministers of the G20 group of countries from February 20-21 in Johannesburg, South Africa, citing concerns with polices, including land reform.

"I will NOT attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg. South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote solidarity, equality, & sustainability. In other words: DEI and climate change. My job is to advance America's national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism," he posted on X.

On Sunday US President Donald Trump accused South Africa of "confiscating" land and "treating certain classes of people very badly," threatening to cut off all future funding to the country pending an investigation.

Lamola stressed South Africa's sovereignty and democracy, which he said entailed a committment to human dignity, equality, and rights, championing non-racialism and non-sexism, while placing the country's Constitution and the rule of law at the forefront.

He highlighted that there was no arbitrary dispossession of land or private property.

"This law is similar to the [US's] eminent domain laws," he noted.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday deliver his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) at 7pm, where he will outline the task of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in implementing the three strategic priorities of the Medium-Term Development Plan.

This includes dDriving inclusive growth and job creation;, reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living; and building a capable, ethical and developmental State, explained government spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.

Magwenya said the address will take place before a joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament.

He highlighted thatsaid the address holds "added significance" as it occurs during the commemoration of 30 years of freedom and democracy, and it coincides with South Africa's G20 Presidency of G20.

The 2025 SoNA is the first of the 7th Administration and will be held under the theme: '"A nation that works, for all'."

"The annual address gives us an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a nation and recommits us to working together to build the country we envisioned at the start of our democracy," Magwenya pointed out.

Ramaphosa will deliver his reply to the SoNA debate next week Thursday.

The President looks forward to a constructive and substantively enriching debate that will follow his SoONA address, said Magwenya.

South Africa's government signalled that it is making headway in resolving an impasse over a new national medical-insurance plan that critics say will infringe on the rights of patients and health-care workers and sideline the private sector.

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed off on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act less than two weeks before May elections in which the African National Congress lost the parliamentary majority it had held for the past three decades.

A 10-party coalition government was formed after the vote and some of its members oppose the legislation, which provides a framework for citizens to secure universal access to health care through a centrally managed government fund that buys services from public and private providers. The law currently bans the private sector from offering cover for treatment available under NHI.

An understanding has been agreed to drop a provision that would have caused the collapse of private medical-insurance companies, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen told reporters in Cape Town on Wednesday.

"I expect that the NHI Act will have to have some of its provisions redrafted. This is a compromise that has been reached," Steenhuisen said. "We will not be part of the destruction of the private medical aids. If that does happen then we cannot be part" of the unity government, he said.

Cape Town-based news website News24 reported on the agreement earlier.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told reporters in Cape Town that Ramaphosa is committed to ironing out difference within his administration over the NHI and "one would not be entirely surprised if an agreement is reached in that regard."

South Africa's overburdened public facilities currently serve about 84% of the population, while the remaining 16% who can afford private insurance have access to world-class treatment.

Opponents of NHI say it won't remedy the health-care system's shortcomings, is unconstitutional and that the government hasn't spelled out how much the revamped system will cost or how it will be funded. The Solidarity labour union has filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the legislation.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) stated on Wednesday that while its Ministers are delivering growth and jobs in their respective portfolios, it continues to push the African National Congress (ANC) to urgently embrace the economic reforms South Africa desperately needs.

Ahead of the State of the Nation Address (SoNA), to be delivered on Thursday by President Cyril Ramaphosa, DA leader John Steenhuisen warned that unless the Government of National Unity (GNU) urgently implements policies that drive economic growth and enable job creation, South Africa will fail.

He said there was an alarming lack of urgency in the ANC.

"We have pushed the ANC to implement pro-growth, pro-jobs reforms through the Medium Term Development Plan process, and we have pushed the President to announce such reforms during his SoNA," Steenhuisen said.

EXPROPRIATION ACT

Meanwhile, Steenhuisen said the party would continue to use GNU structures to mount its opposition to the Expropriation Act, from within government.

This after US President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw aid to South Africa owing to his view that the recently enacted Expropriation Act was leading to the confiscation of land.

Steenhuisen said in response, on Monday, that while there were concerns around the Act, it was not true that it allowed land to be seized arbitrarily by the State as claimed by lobbyists.

"…and it does require fair compensation for legitimate expropriations in terms of Section 25 of the Constitution. It is unfortunate that individuals have sought to portray this Act as an amendment to Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for Expropriation Without Compensation," he said.

The DA lent its support to the GNU's attempt to engage with Trump to clarify the situation, describing the US's partnership with South Africa as valuable, particularly as US funding assists with crucial HIV/Aids treatment and support services and humanitarian and environmental programmes.

"It would be a tragedy if this funding were terminated because of a misunderstanding of the facts. Property rights are foundational to the success of our economy and the DA will always fight to ensure they are fully protected. We successfully opposed any change to Section 25 of the Constitution, which protects property rights, and we will continue to work to ensure the Expropriation Amendment Act is constitutionally sound in every respect," Steenhuisen had said.

Now, Steenhuisen said the Expropriation Act must go back to Parliament.

He said the protection of private property rights was the cornerstone of any economy, and that the DA had always supported this and fought hard against any amendment to Section 25 of the Constitution, since 2018.

"The DA is strongly of the opinion that the Act is unconstitutional and our view has not changed," he said on Wednesday.

He said the party would approach the courts, arguing that this Act was indeed "procedurally and substantively unconstitutional".

"As long as Dean Macpherson, or any other DA representative, is Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, we will be able to mount protection for South Africans through the Minister responsible for the Act's implementation. However, that situation cannot be guaranteed forever. It provides short-term relief, but broader solutions are needed," he explained.

DEBT MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMIC REFORMS

Steenhuisen said the GNU needed to commit to a credible plan to reduce government debt and stick it to.

"End bailouts to failing State-owned enterprises (SOEs) and begin the phased privatisation of non-essential SOEs, redirecting funds to critical economic infrastructure and service delivery," he suggested.

He added that government must also implement a strictly managed spending review across departments, to ensure measurable outcomes for allocated budgets, and to eliminate programmes that are duplicated or lack impact.

Steenhuisen said South Africa cannot tax or borrow its way to a better future, and said government must fast-track reform...

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has stressed the importance of clearing up any misconceptions surrounding the Expropriation Act, to ensure investors of policy certainty.

He called for reasoned discussion and for the Government of National Unity to explain the facts surrounding the legislation to the US administration.

Macpherson was speaking to members of the investment community on the margins of the Investing in African Mining Indaba opening reception, in Cape Town, on February 3.

Macpherson averred that there had been misconceptions about the legislation, including recent comments made on social media by US President Donald Trump.

"I want to be unequivocal: No one in South Africa is having their land confiscated," Macpherson emphasised.

He pointed out that the Expropriation Act sets out a clear legal framework under which expropriation may take place - always with due process and court oversight.

Furthermore, Section 25 of the Constitution remains firmly in place, "enshrining property rights in the highest law of the country", he pointed out.

Macpherson also cautioned against brinkmanship.

He further noted that the government was committed to working with international partners to ensure investor confidence remained strong.

"As the Minister responsible for this Bill, I am also committed to ensuring that it is constitutional and that there will be no arbitrary land grabs by the State in South Africa. Property rights are not only about protecting investments but also about ensuring that the rule of law is upheld in all sectors of society," he assured.

South African civil society organisations have accused US President Donald Trump of "dangerous lies", following his statements that South Africa is "confiscating land and treating certain classes of people very badly".

The Campaign for Free Expression executive director Nicole Fritz said on Tuesday that Trump's comments are "demonstrably untrue and would be absurd were this lie not now being propounded at the very highest levels of US government".

Trump has threatened to cut all future funding to South Africa over the new Expropriation Act and claims that white farmers are being targeted.

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law an Expropriation Act that allows land expropriation without compensation in certain circumstances.

The 19 civil society organisations - which include the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Corruption Watch, the Helen Suzman Foundation, the Land Access Movement of South Africa and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation - said they were "appalled" at the threats Trump issued against South Africa but also by his "dangerous lies".

"We are unquestionably saddened that those we once took to be potential partners in this endeavour - to perfect our union as they looked to perfect theirs - should shamefully have abandoned that enterprise. But we are enraged that through thuggery and threat they would now look to deliberately endanger our endeavour," they noted.

They explained that the recently promulgated Expropriation Act does not look to confiscate land but is an attempt to address historic dispossession and removal from land.

"It looks to secure a peaceful, prosperous future for all South Africans while respecting the rights of current property owners. Moreover, our Constitution and our courts have long been praised globally for their championing and protection of human rights and civil liberties. Such flaws as there may be with the Expropriation Act will be fully scrutinised by our court system, and if found wanting, struck down," said the organisations.

The organisations said it was ironic that Trump compared himself to South Africa's president Nelson Mandela, as the US president defended himself against criminal charges, stating that Mandela had previously stated that democracy in South Africa must mean addressing centuries of land dispossession and denial.

"Thirty years after democracy, South Africa remains among the most unequal places on earth with that inequality largely tracking racial lines: the typical Black household in South Africa owns 5% of the wealth held by the typical White household. For far too many South Africans democracy has yet to allow an escape from crippling poverty," they said.

They further noted that Trump's most significant funding contributed by the US to South Africa at present goes to healthcare-related initiatives and warned that funding cuts are likely to affect the most desperate, destitute South Africans.

"Trump's actions will only make them more so and by potentially fuelling tensions between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' in South Africa, may inadvertently threaten the interests of those 'certain classes' for whom Trump ostensibly seeks to act," the organisations warned.

President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated South Africa's constitutionally embedded values of the respect for the rule of law, justice, fairness and equality, when he spoke with Elon Musk on Monday.

The Presidency said on the X platform, which is owned by Musk, that Ramaphosa spoke to the South African-born businessman on issues of misinformation and distortions about the country.

This after Musk asked Ramaphosa, on the X platform, "why do you have openly racist ownership laws?" and after US President Donald Trump accused South Africa of "treating its citizens badly" and vowed to cut off all future funding to the country.

Ramaphosa signed into law the Expropriation Bill, which has been met with criticism for its clause on nil compensation in certain cases.

Lobby groups such as AfriForum and its mother body Solidarity are fiercely opposed to the legislation and have launched international awareness campaigns to call to attention what it believes is an attack on property rights.

This caught the attention of the controversial US President, who began the maelstrom on Monday in his false comments that South Africa was confiscating land, which has angered South African politicians, including Ramaphosa.

The Democratic Alliance and the African National Congress (ANC) have since sought to address misconceptions around the Expropriation Act amid Trump's threats, while the ANC accused AfriForum of orchestrating a misinformation campaign that the US had decided to amplify.

Ramaphosa explained that the Expropriation Act was not a confiscation instrument, but a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensured public access to land "in an equitable and just manner as guided by the Constitution".

"South Africa, like the United States of America and other countries, has always had expropriation laws that balance the need for public usage of land and the protection of rights of property owners," he said on Monday, in response to Trump.

Ramaphosa said South Africa looked forward "to engaging with the Trump administration over its land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest", and expressed optimism that these meetings would result in a better, and common, understanding.

Civil society organisation the Solidarity Movement said it will ask the Trump Administration to exercise pressure on African National Congress (ANC) policies, but not to punish ordinary South Africans through measures that exacerbate unemployment or harm the vulnerable.

"We do not like the ANC, but we love the country. At the same time more foreign pressure on the ANC is essential because the constitutional settlement is currently being violated, and the ANC continues to govern on its own while a government of national unity (GNU) is indeed in power," said Solidarity Movement chairperson Flip Buys.

This comes as US President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw aid to South Africa owing to his view that the recently enacted Expropriation Act is leading to the confiscation of land.

Following Trump's comments, which were made initially on his Truth Social account and later reinforced in a brief television interview, the South African Presidency said government had not confiscated any land.

It also underlined South Africa's status as a "constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice and equality".

Uys believes the US has a "major responsibility" to ensure that constitutional promises such as property rights, mother tongue schools and universities and the abolition of racial discrimination are fulfilled, arguing that those promises were instrumental in South Africa's 1990 constitutional settlement.

The Solidarity Movement has planned a series of diplomatic actions that will include discussions with local diplomats and visits to Washington.

Meanwhile, Afrikaner interest group AfriForum echoed Solidarity's stance and said it will write to the US government to request that the punitive measures that Trump wants to introduce against South Africa should rather target senior ANC leaders directly and not South Africans.

AfriForum will also make an urgent request to the South African government to avert what it calls a crisis, and suggest that an amendment to the Expropriation Act be tabled to ensure the protection of property rights in South Africa.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said there were serious concerns about the impact of Trump's punitive measures on ordinary citizens who were already buckling under economic pressure.

Meanwhile, the GOOD Party stressed on Monday the importance of "level-headed" diplomacy and "cordial engagement" with the US to protect and strengthen bilateral relations.

GOOD Party secretary-general Brett Herron pointed out that Trump's statement to withhold funding to South Africa was a owing to "misrepresentations about the Expropriation Act by people who seek to protect the beneficiaries of colonial and apartheid land dispossession".

Herron explained that as a sovereign country, and constitutional democracy, South Africa had its own political and parliamentary systems and mechanisms to establish policies and pass laws.

"The system contains adequate space for political organisations to express their ideological views, both in the law-making process and in the option of taking laws on review to the Constitutional Court," he added.

He said political organisations appealing to US lawmakers to punish South Africa was an anti-democratic act and likened it to economic treason.

"While the likes of AfriForum and other groups, including parties which are now members of the GNU, are within their rights to argue for the retention of the apartheid-era status-quo - free speech is guaranteed by the Constitution - they have no right to place the country's economic welfare at risk by feeding misinformation to Washington lawmakers," he said.

The party condemned the "disinformation" efforts by AfriForum, Solidarity, and even the Freedom Front Plus and the Democratic Alliance.

"Their collective campaign has backfired and will hurt not only their members but the entire country. GOOD calls for urgent action to be taken against AfriForum, in this instance, for spreading deliberately false and inflammatory ...