CAPE TOWN, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- As the latest development in its diplomatic spat with the United States, the South African government has cautioned against politically-motivated statements on the land reform it is pursuing.
Alarmist, false, inaccurate, misinformed and, in some cases, politically-motivated statements do not reflect the policies and intentions of the South African government, the government said in a statement posted on its website on Friday.
This was the message conveyed to the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, according to Ndivhuwo Mabaya, spokesperson of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
On Thursday, DIRCO called the U.S. Embassy to convey the unhappiness of the South African people and government over a tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump, Mabaya said.
Trump tweeted on Wednesday that he had asked his Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to closely study the South African land seizures and expropriations, and the large scale killing of farmers.
"(The) South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers," Trump tweeted.
Later, U.S. Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert said at a press briefing that the South African government risks going down the wrong path if it continues with land expropriation without compensation.
Trump's tweet was based on false information and lobbying by certain South African lobby groups that seek to derail and frustrate the land redistribution program, the DIRCO statement said.
"The U.S. Charge d'Affaires was informed to convey to Washington that Pretoria is disappointed about Washington's failure to use available diplomatic channels," said the statement.
According to the statement, DIRCO also urged the Charge d'Affaires to indicate to Washington that the people of South Africa, of all races, are working together through Parliament and other legal platforms to find a solution to the land issue.
Trump's tweet "serves only to polarize debate on this sensitive and crucial matter," the statement said.
At the end of the meeting, the Charge d'Affaires committed to convey the message to Washington immediately, said the statement.
The latest development came as South Africa's Parliament is accelerating a process to amend the Constitution to cater for land expropriation without compensation.
AgriForum, an association of South African farmers, has launched an international campaign to get the South African government to stop its land reform.
The group insists that land expropriation without compensation will drive away white farmers, kill jobs and threaten food security.
In its message to the Trump administration, DIRCO reiterated the government's position that land grabs and anarchy will not be allowed in the process of finding a solution to the land issue.
In this regard, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has directly addressed investors and agricultural associations and will continue this process of engagement and consultation with all stakeholders to find solutions that are in the best interest of the country, the economy and the people of South Africa, DIRCO said.
