Elon Musk has thrown his weight behind a message advocating for race-based emigration from South Africa, the country of his birth.
In a post on X, Musk amplified a tweet that read: “White South Africans are being persecuted for their race in their home country. Also, White South Africans are one of the few population groups that are fiscally positive when immigrating to Europe. We should allow more immigration of White South Africans.”
Musk’s response? A simple “Yes,” making his stance clear.
His involvement didn’t stop there. He later shared another tweet accusing the South African government of redistributing land from White South Africans to Black citizens—a claim that has long been a flashpoint in the country’s post-apartheid politics.
Musk’s comments come at a time when tensions over land ownership are flaring up again. In January, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a bill that could shake up the country’s long-standing imbalance in land distribution, where a small minority of White landowners still control the majority of farmland. The legislation allows the government to seize land without compensating its owners, a move that has ignited fierce debate both within South Africa and internationally.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump—who Musk has advised in the past—lashed out at the new law on his Truth Social platform, calling it a “human rights VIOLATION” and warning that U.S. funding for South Africa could be on the chopping block.
Musk appeared to echo Trump’s stance, responding to a post from Ramaphosa defending the policy with a pointed question: “Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?”
The historical backdrop to this debate is complex. Under colonial rule and apartheid, Black South Africans were systematically stripped of their land, forced into segregated areas, and barred from owning property in large swaths of the country. More than three decades after apartheid ended, the vast majority of commercial farmland remains in White hands.
Ramaphosa’s government argues that land reform is essential to correcting historical injustices. But critics, including Musk, see the new law as an attack on White landowners.
In response to Musk’s remarks, Ramaphosa’s office confirmed that the president had reached out to him directly, urging him to relay South Africa’s constitutional commitment to justice, equality, and the rule of law in any discussions he might have with Trump.
As the land debate intensifies, Musk—once a distant observer of his homeland’s politics—has now stepped directly into one of its most polarizing issues.