WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2018) US President Donald Trump's recent tweet regarding South African land seizures should not prevent the United States from improving relations with the country, Senator Jeff Flake said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Trump in a message via Twitter said he asked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to closely study the South Africa land seizures and large-scale killing of farmers.
"President Trump's unfortunate tweet... should not distract the United States from improving relations with South Africa," Flake said on Thursday. "Constructive relationships require measured dialogue as opposed to arbitrary tweets."
The government of South Africa responded to Trump by saying that it "totally rejects this narrow perception," because it could only further divide the nation and remind about its past.
Land reform in South Africa has been a controversial issue as the country was governed by white Europeans since 1940, while black Africans were segregated and subjected to economic discrimination, including not being able to live or establish business on land designated for whites.
The South African parliament passed a measure in 2016 opening a path for the expropriation of property for a public purpose whereby the government could take land from white - as well as other - land owners.
