Trump Has No Africa Policy, Tries to Hide It Attacking S Africa - Ex-US Envoy

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - In December, the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's ruling party, adopted a resolution providing for the redistribution of lands in favor of black South Africans without compensation. Since then the authorities have been engaged in discussions on measures to help implement the plan.

"The President of the US needs political distractions to turn our gaze away from his criminal cabal, and so he’s attacking South Africa with the disproven racial myth of 'large-scale killings of farmers.' This man has never visited the continent and has no discernible Africa policy," former US Ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard said in a statement on Thursday.

READ MORE: White Farmers 'Panicking', Put Their Land up For Sale in South Africa — Reports

On Wednesday, Trump said that he had tasked State Secretary Mike Pompeo with examining the South African "land and farm seizures and expropriations" and alleged mass killings of farmers after a Fox News report on seizures of land belonging to white farmers by the government.

The South African government has condemned Trump's comments, calling his perception of the project both narrow and biased, adding that Trump was misinformed on the country's reforms. South Africa's Foreign Ministry said it plans to seek a clarification on the matter on Thursday with the US Embassy in Pretoria, and Foreign Minister Lindiwe Sisulu will communicate with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo through diplomatic channels.