Liberal think tank warns of widespread asset theft in South Africa

“Once momentum begins to build, it is probably inevitable that they will extend to other spheres of the economy,” the SAIRR noted.

“It is remarkable that South Africa’s government is apparently willing to risk its own economic interests for a policy choice that will do nothing to resolve the issues for which it is nominally being adopted.”

Trump’s critics meanwhile accused him of being a “racist”, and so-called “fact-checkers” tried to minimize the number of white farmers killed. The South African government claimed that the US President “seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past”.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ignored US President Donald Trump’s tweet about the South African government’s racist land theft programme. Sources inside the Presidency told timeslive.co.za instead‚ Ramaphosa has instructed his officials and ministers to intensify efforts to counter the bad publicity by bribing farmers and other interested parties.

The SAIRR has agreed with Trump, and said that his criticism vindicated the warnings it had been sounding for months. “Expropriation without compensation (EWC) has become one of the dominant themes in the country’s politics. This has been deliberately driven by the government and ruling party, even though survey evidence has shown that land – particularly in the agrarian sense – is not a priority for South Africa’s people.

“President Donald Trump’s announcement that he has directed his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to ‘study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers’ is another indication of the damage that the reckless handling of South Africa’s ‘land question’ is doing.

The SAIRR denounced the government’s “reckless” approach‚ warning that it will have dire consequences for the country’s international standing.

“Seen alongside South Africa’s decision to terminate its bilateral investment treaties‚ expropriation without compensation has prompted a great deal of concern about the security of their assets‚ particularly among the European investors most directly impacted‚” the institute warned on Thursday. It said that government envoys were experiencing difficulties in convincing investors of the sagacity of their land theft programme.

“Even President [Cyril] Ramaphosa’s investment envoys have referred to the difficulties that expropriation without compensation has created for them in attempting to attract desperately needed funds to South Africa.”

Moreover, South Africa may be barred from participating in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) if they continue their policy of land grabs. “Countries participating in Agoa must be‚ or be working towards‚ ‘a market-based economy that protects private property rights’. Intellectual property and private security ownership requirements [both property rights issues] have already been sources of tension with the US within the Agoa context‚” it noted.

“Expropriation without compensation could well lead to SA’s exclusion. This would be a significant disadvantage for SA‚ putting large volumes of exports and potentially tens of thousands of jobs at risk.”