Trump had tweeted that South Africa’s land expropriation programme was divisive and called for an end to the killing of white farmers.
A spokeswoman for South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa said President Trump was ‘misinformed’. She declared: “South Africa totally rejects the narrow perception which only seeks to divide a nation and remind us of our colonial past.”
Dismay and disbelief were also widespread among political leaders on the continent. Even determined pro-Trump supporters felt it was one intervention too any.
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Even if Trump was anxious to shore up right wing support in the run-up to next November’s midterm elections, he should have remained quiet about South Africa- or at most resorted to low key diplomatic inquiry and advice.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, a moderate multi-millionaire politician, is walking a tightrope between highly discontented Africans who feel that 20 years of independence after apartheid have yielded little economic emancipation, and conservative white farmers and businessmen who want to maintain the status quo for as long as possible.
In the view of most African political observers, Ramaphosa needs all the support he can get to maintain stability in South Africa.