South Africa's Democratic Alliance leads land reform lawsuit
The coalition government member is joining lobby groups in challenging legislation that allows the government to seize private land for public use.
A legal dispute has erupted within South Africa's ruling coalition over a new land reform law, putting the country's diplomatic relations with the United States at risk. The Democratic Alliance (DA), the government's second-largest party traditionally supported by white South Africans, has initiated a lawsuit challenging the Expropriation Act. The DA, allied with lobbyists, argues that the law conflicts with international investment treaties and was enacted through improper parliamentary procedures.
The Expropriation Act, signed into law in early 2025, empowers the government to seize private land for public use without compensating the owners in specific situations, such as when properties are abandoned. Land ownership in South Africa remains a highly sensitive issue, more than 30 years after the end of white minority rule. According to the latest government land audit, 72% of private land is owned by the white minority, who constitute approximately 7% of the population.
The United States has responded sharply to the controversy, with President Donald Trump instructing federal agencies to contemplate granting refugee status to white Afrikaner farmers and freezing aid to South Africa. The legal battle between the DA and the government is seen as a potential catalyst for testing the stability of the ruling coalition.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
