South Africa summons US envoy for Trump tweet

South Africa’s Government said today it had summoned the top US diplomat in the country to “convey the unhappiness of the people” over President Donald Trump’s tweet about alleged white-owned farm seizures and the “large scale killing of farmers.”

In a statement, South Africa said it told US Charge d’Affaires Jessye Lapenn it was “disappointed” over the failure to use available diplomatic channels.

South Africa’s Government has said Trump’s tweet was based on “false information” and served “only to polarise debate on this sensitive and crucial matter.” The country is in the middle of a racially charged debate over land reform, a lawful process that seeks to correct the legacy of decades of white-minority rule that stripped blacks of their land.