Souths Africa has expressed "great concern" at US President Donald Trump's decision to freeze financial aid to the country.
The country's foreign ministry said the move lacks "factual accuracy" and fails to recognize South Africa's history of apartheid.
President Trump signed the executive order on Friday citing South Africa's new land expropriation law and its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the White House announced.
South Africa said Trump's move seems to be a campaign of "misinformation and propaganda" against the country, its foreign ministry said in a statement.
Afrikaner refugees
"It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favour among decision-makers in the United States of America," it added.
Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid and the government was under pressure to implement reforms.
Trump's order includes a provision for assisting "Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination."
But South Africa said "it is ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the US for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged," according to the foreign ministry's statement.
The country is the US biggest trading partner in Africa. The United States committed nearly $440 million in assistance to South Africa in 2023, according to US official data.
Diplomatic solutions
South Africa's foreign ministry said it remains committed to finding diplomatic solutions to any misunderstandings or disputes.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has not commented on the latest diplomatic spat but has previously defended the new legislation, arguing it does not amount to land confiscation.
Read more: Why is Trump targeting South Africa?
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