South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke to Elon Musk “on issues of misinformation and distortions about South Africa,” the presidency announced on Tuesday.

Mr Musk is a close adviser to US President Donald Trump, who on Sunday threatened to cut all future funding to South Africa over allegations that it was confiscating land and "treating certain classes of people very badly". The South Africa-born tech billionaire joined in the criticism asking on X why Ramaphosa had "openly racist ownership laws".

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responded on Monday to US President Donald Trump’s threat to cut off aid over the alleged mistreatment of White farmers, denying Trump’s claim that authorities were “confiscating land.

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A much bigger worry than aid is trade: a quarter of South Africa's $15 billion exports to the U.S. get preferential tariffs under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), according to a 2023 AGOA factsheet, while South Africa estimates AGOA makes up 2% of its total exports.

In recent days, Musk and Trump have discussed halting aid to the country. The president said "certain classes" are being treated "VERY BADLY."

Tech billionaire Elon Musk sparked widespread debate on social media after accusing South Africa of having "openly racist ownership laws". ・Elon Musk accused South Africa of having 'openly racist ownership laws' in response to a tweet by President Cyril Ramaphosa.