The Land and the Fury
NEED TO KNOW
The Land and the Fury
SOUTH AFRICA
In 1652, the Dutch arrived on the shores of modern-day South Africa, followed by the British, setting off centuries of indigenous Blacks being forcibly displaced from their land. By the early 1990s, White South African landowners made up 7 percent of the population yet held 93 percent of the land.
Then, in 1994, Apartheid collapsed. Soon after, restrictions were lifted on Black and other non-White South Africans from owning land, as well as those rules that dictated where they could live and what employment they could choose.
That was because the African National Congress led by Nelson Mandela came to power after Blacks won the right to vote. And one of the first things the new government did was to set a target of redistributing 30 percent of the agricultural land within five years to address the country’s legacy of colonialism and Apartheid.
However, South Africa has missed that target, year after year, because of political disagreements, patronage, bureaucracy, a lack of data, and corruption. The government is now aiming to meet it by 2030.
To do so, the country passed a law called the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 that repealed an Apartheid-era land law. The new law defines how land appropriations for “a public purpose” or “in the public interest” are to be compensated. It also allows for a limited number of cases where land expropriation would not be compensated.
While the land issue has long been controversial in South Africa, the new law set off a firestorm in the US: “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the measure was “a massive Human Rights VIOLATION.”
Trump cut aid for the country, which includes the world’s largest HIV treatment program. He announced that Afrikaners, only one part of the White minority, could get refugee status as persecuted individuals. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he would boycott the G20 meeting in South Africa scheduled for later this month. And Elon Musk, a South-African-born advisor to Trump, called the new law “racist.”
South African politicians on both sides of the debate reacted with outrage, saying that US officials are mischaracterizing the new law.
“South Africa is a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice, and equality,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wrote on X. “The South African government has not confiscated any land.”
He noted that the US funded about 17 percent of South Africa’s HIV/AIDS program and that there was “no other significant funding” from the United States. He added that the country would not be “bullied.”
Opponents of the law, such as the center-right Democratic Alliance (DA) party, said Trump’s characterization of the new law was “unfortunate.”
“It would be a tragedy if this funding were terminated because of a misunderstanding of the facts,” the DA, part of the governing coalition, said in a statement. “It is not true that the Act allows land to be seized by the state arbitrarily.”
Opposition parties such as the right-wing, pro-Afrikaner Freedom Front Plus party and ActionSA say they will take the matter to court because they believe it is unconstitutional. Many opponents say they fear its economic impact – that it will dampen the foreign investment South Africa needs.
“While other parties assert that this bill does not compromise the ‘willing buyer, willing seller doctrine,’ it ultimately allows the government to unilaterally set the price if an agreement cannot be reached,” said ActionSA in a statement.
Meanwhile, lawyers in South Africa pointed out this new law was not directed at land reform – although it could be used for it – but at infrastructure projects such as highways or dams, similar to how eminent domain rules work in the US.
South African law professor Zsa-Zsa Temmers Boggenpoel of Stellenbosch University said the new law isn’t perfect, but South Africa needs to move forward.
“I am not convinced that the act, in its current form, is the silver bullet to effect large-scale land reform – at least not the type of radical land reform that South Africa urgently needs, Boggenpoel wrote in the Conversation. “Understandably, the act will have a severe impact on property rights. But it still substantially protects landowners affected by expropriation.”
“This has become a matter of increasing urgency,” she added, “South Africans have expressed impatience with the slow pace of land reform.”
Political analyst Melanie Verwoerd, a former South African lawmaker and diplomat, says that the debate outside of South Africa has misrepresented the issue. She explained that for the past 30 years, the state has bought land from landowners at or above market value.
“The fact is, South Africa has not expropriated any private land since the dawn of its democracy,” she wrote in an opinion piece in Bloomberg. “Given the country’s history, nothing would have been easier – and frankly more popular – than for the ANC government to have forcefully expropriated large tracts of land from White owners without compensation. Yet, it chose not to.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
Fire Sale
UKRAINE
European leaders and Ukrainian officials reacted with alarm over the weekend and agreed to an emergency meeting Monday after the United States announced that Europe would be excluded from upcoming peace negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, with talks expected this week in Saudi Arabia between the US and Russia, Al Jazeera reported.
During the Munich Security Conference in Germany over the weekend, the US special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg confirmed that European nations would not be included in the negotiations, telling conference participants that “the answer to that last question, just as you framed it, is no,” when asked if Europe and Ukraine would have a seat at the table.
While Kellogg claimed that Ukraine would be involved in negotiations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later countered that Ukraine had not received an invitation to the upcoming meeting in Saudi Arabia.
Kellogg’s announcement came days after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, where they discussed starting talks to end the war.
The diplomat’s comments prompted swift backlash from Zelenskyy and other European officials.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb insisted that discussions on Kyiv’s future must include Europe and Ukraine while calling on the continent to “talk less and do more.”
European leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark, the EU Council, and NATO are meeting in Paris Monday after French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting to coordinate a response, the BBC reported.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged European nations to “get into the debate” by increasing defense spending and presenting concrete security proposals, rather than merely protesting their exclusion.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy called for the creation of a European army, stating that Europe could no longer rely on the US for protection.
Observers said the decision to move forward without Europe follows the Trump administration’s repeated calls for European allies to take greater responsibility for security in the region, with Washington shifting its focus to border security and countering China, the BBC added.
Concerns over US concessions to Russia were also fueled by recent remarks from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said that Ukraine’s return to its pre-2014 borders was “unrealistic” and that NATO membership for Ukraine was off the table.
European leaders have privately expressed fears that Washington may be preparing to pressure Ukraine into territorial concessions before formal peace talks even begin.
Also, tensions are growing between the US and Ukraine over a proposed deal granting the US ownership of 50 percent of Ukraine’s mineral wealth, such as rare earth minerals, NBC News wrote.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian president said he had declined to sign a draft contract with the US giving away the nation’s minerals, saying it lacked “security guarantees” for Kyiv and did not adequately protect Ukrainian interests, adding that “these resources belong to our people.”
No Defense
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured the city of Bukavu in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the weekend, marking a significant and unprecedented expansion of their control after facing little resistance from government forces, the Associated Press reported.
On Sunday, Bukavu residents reportedly cheered on the M23 fighters as they moved through the regional capital of South Kivu province, while others stayed indoors, wary of violence.
Congolese soldiers and allied Burundian troops had already withdrawn from the city Friday, with reports of looting at a World Food Program depot and local supermarkets. Thousands of civilians also fled the city, according to Africanews.
The Congo River Alliance, a rebel coalition that includes M23, said it was “defending the people of Bukavu.”
Over the weekend, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi held an emergency security meeting in the DRC capital Kinshasa, where officials downplayed the occupation, claiming that Bukavu was only “briefly” invaded and remains under government control.
The rapid advance comes weeks after the rebels seized Goma, the capital of the neighboring North Kivu province, sparking increased fears of regional escalation and raising questions about the Congolese government’s ability to maintain control in the country’s volatile and mineral-rich east.
The M23 insurgency – backed by an estimated 4,000 Rwandan troops – has displaced more than six million people in eastern DRC, with at least 350,000 left homeless in recent weeks.
The conflict has killed nearly 3,000 people over the past month, while hundreds of thousands remain without access to aid.
The rebel group has said it is defending the region’s ethnic Tutsis, echoing claims by Rwandan officials that Tutsis in DRC face persecution from Hutu militias similar to those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Congo, in turn, has accused Rwanda of supporting the rebellion to gain access to the country’s vast mineral wealth.
The conflict was the main topic of the African Union summit in Ethiopia over the weekend, where United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the situation could spiral into a regional war.
Despite growing international concern, there has been little decisive action against M23 or Rwanda, with world leaders continuing to push for dialogue, Euronews noted.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of M23, and the safe return of Congolese authorities to Bukavu.
However, analysts warned that the rebels’ continued advance southward suggests a broader push for political power rather than just territorial control.
No Way Out
LEBANON
Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and arrested more than 25 people over the weekend, part of a crackdown on Hezbollah-led protests over Lebanon’s decision to block Iranian flights to the country, Reuters reported.
The weekend demonstrations, which have paralyzed access to the country’s only international airport since Friday, erupted after Israel accused Iran last week of using civilian aircraft to smuggle in cash to Hezbollah.
While Hezbollah and Lebanese officials have denied those accusations, the allegations prompted Lebanon to suspend flights from Iran, including one that held pilgrims.
In response, the Iran-backed Hezbollah called for a mass sit-in near the airport to protest “Israeli interference, diktats, and the violation of national sovereignty.”
Protesters burned tires and blocked roads leading to the terminal, with clashes breaking out between demonstrators and security forces.
Amid the unrest, a United Nations convoy was attacked near the airport Friday, injuring two peacekeepers. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called for a “full and immediate investigation” into the attack, wrote Middle East Eye.
Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun, said the perpetrators “will receive their punishment” and warned that security forces “will not be lenient” with any attempt to destabilize the country.
Even so, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah criticized the crackdown, countering that the government should focus on “preventing the Israeli enemy from imposing its diktats” rather than dispersing a “peaceful sit-in.”
The flight ban has also strained relations between Lebanon and Iran.
On Friday, Iranian officials responded by barring Lebanese planes from repatriating dozens of its stranded nationals.
Meanwhile, Iran dismissed Israel’s allegations as a pretext for possible military action.
DISCOVERIES
Frame for Fun
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Most Americans have heard this proverb asking those in a bad situation to look on the bright side.
Research shows that a positive attitude toward life’s hurdles can train the brain to focus on the good things and improve overall well-being.
Now, a new study has taken it further and found that approaching life situations playfully is even more effective in helping people cope with challenges.
To arrive at this conclusion, researchers surveyed a sample of 503 American adults to gauge their level of playfulness, asking them to rate it on a scale indicating their spontaneity, inhibitions, and motivation to seek fun. They then divided the sample into two groups representing high and low levels of playfulness.
The study focused on people’s experiences during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2021. It used 19 variables to compare how playfulness helped reframe cognition, emotion, and behavior during the lockdown.
The survey asked participants how they perceived their infection risks, if they thought the situation would improve if they felt socially supported, and how they behaviorally and emotionally responded to the lockdown.
The results showed that playful people were more positive about the future and more confident in the vaccine’s effectiveness, expecting life to return to normal.
Meanwhile, instead of minimizing COVID-19 risks and ignoring the pandemic, playful people shifted their focus toward positive things, “illuminating potential paths forward even in dark times,” explained study author Xiangyou Shen.
According to this study, playfulness and resilience are connected through what the authors called “lemonading” – the creative ability to imagine positive outcomes and pursue enjoyable activities while remaining aware of life’s difficulties.
While both groups reported feelings of vulnerability and isolation, playful people showed flexibility and motivation to find fun within the limits of the lockdown.