The administration of President Donald Trump has officially ended funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in South Africa, arguing that the country is capable of financing its own healthcare programmes and citing concerns over policies affecting white South Africans.
According to reports, the U.S. State Department said the decision followed what Washington described as South Africa’s failure to adequately address violence, discrimination and displacement allegedly experienced by members of the country’s white minority.
Among the grievances listed by U.S. officials were South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment policies, which they claimed do not provide exemptions for American companies operating in the country. The State Department also criticised senior South African officials for what it described as a failure to strongly condemn racially charged rhetoric, including the controversial “Kill the Boer” chant.
Washington further raised concerns about the Expropriation Act of 2024, warning against any law that could allow the seizure of private property without what it considers fair compensation and due legal process.
The Trump administration also urged South Africa to make rural crime a national priority and allocate more resources to protecting farming communities from violent attacks. In addition, U.S. officials expressed concerns over the country’s handling of refugee issues, saying authorities should avoid actions that could interfere with refugee programmes established under South African law.
“South Africa is a middle-income country and is more than capable of supporting its own health programs,” a State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Trump has repeatedly accused the South African government of failing to protect white farmers and other white citizens.
During a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House in May 2025, Trump reportedly ordered the lights in the Oval Office to be dimmed before showing videos of opposition politicians chanting slogans calling for the killing of Boers, a term commonly used to describe white farmers.
As the footage played, Trump claimed there were more than a thousand burial sites belonging to murdered white farmers and alleged that families frequently gathered there to honour the victims. Reports said Ramaphosa remained mostly expressionless throughout the presentation.
The meeting later became tense when NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander attempted to ask Trump about a luxury aircraft donated by Qatar to the United States.
An irritated Trump immediately shut down the question.
“You ought to get out of here. What does this have to do with a Qatari jet?”
The president then held up newspaper clippings and reports which he claimed documented murders and rapes involving white South Africans.
“These articles over the last few days, death of people, death, death, horrible death,” Trump said.
