United States President Donald Trump, on Sunday (Feb 2), accused South Africa of mistreating certain groups of people and threatened to halt future funding until an investigation is completed. 

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Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote a post saying, "South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see. The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!"

Later, in a briefing with journalists, Trump said that South Africa's "leadership is doing some terrible things, horrible things".

"So that's under investigation right now. We'll make a determination, and until such time as we find out what South Africa is doing -- they're taking away land and confiscating land, and actually they're doing things that are perhaps far worse than that."

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It is pertinent to note that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had expressed confidence in the future of US-South Africa relations after Trump's presidential election victory, stating that he wasn't worried about the impact of Trump 2.0.

Last week, Ramaphosa revealed that he had a conversation with Trump following his election victory and was eager to work with his administration.  

Also read: Trump says will have discussion with Canada, Mexico over sweeping tariffs; 'don't expect anything dramatic'

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'Dangerous path'

During his first term, Trump had vowed to probe into the allegations of widespread violence against white farmers in the African nation, including claims of large-scale killings and forced land seizures.

In the year 2018, Trump said that he had asked his then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to “closely study” the allegations.

“South Africa is now implementing a land expropriation without compensation, a very dangerous path!” Trump had said.

The controversy surrounding the targeted killings of white farmers in South Africa is rooted in the country's complex land reform efforts. 

The proposed policy of land confiscation without compensation has sparked heated debates, with many warning that it could aggravate racial tensions and create further divisions.

The issue has garnered significant international attention, with many media outlets highlighting allegations of violent attacks and killings targeting white farmers.

(With inputs from agencies)