Nelson Mandela’s grandson has criticised Donald Trump for his recent tweet about South Africa, saying it “demonstrates a total ignorance of reality” on the part of the US president.

Mr Trump claimed that the South African government was “seizing land from white farmers” and warned of a “large-scale killing of farmers”.

He was referring to a controversial land redistribution proposals currently under consideration by the South African government.

Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela, a member of the Pan African Parliament, said that Mr Trump’s tweet showed "disrespect for South Africa’s sovereignty and our commitment to justice and redress”.

Writing on Instagram, he said: “We will not be dictated to, threatened or pressured into accepting a land deal that perpetuates the injustices of the past."

He added that the US president would “be better served by dealing with his own domestic challenges and the fundamental issues that the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign raises.”

Mr Mandela is the grandson of former South African president Nelson Mandela, who lead the country through the difficult transition after the end of apartheid – a government-run system of discrimination against black South Africans.

The current land redistribution proposal is an attempt to remedy the inequalities that still linger from apartheid, which left white South Africans with nearly 90 per cent of the country’s land when the policy ended in 1994.

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Mr Mandela’s party, the African National Congress (ANC), has suggested a new plan that would allow the government to expropriate land from white farmers without compensation.

The plan, which is still under debate by the country’s parliament, has sparked widespread debate.

Commenting on the proposals, Mr Trump wrote: “I have asked Secretary of State [Mike Pompeo] to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. ‘South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers’."

Mandela: a man of all the people Show all 25 1 /25 Mandela: a man of all the people Mandela: a man of all the people 25/06/1990: With George Bush AP Mandela: a man of all the people 27/07/1991: With Fidel Castro AP Mandela: a man of all the people 04/07/1993: With Bill Clinton AP Mandela: a man of all the people 24/03/1995: With Pele Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 19/06/1995: With Gerry Adams Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 21/01/1996: With Michael Atherton Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 26/03/1996: With Mary Robinson Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 11/07/1996: With Queen Elizabeth II Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 12/07/1996: With Prince Charles AFP/Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 22/07/1996: With the Dalai Lama AP Mandela: a man of all the people 05/05/1997: With Diana, Princess of Wales Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 01/11/1997: With Mel B and Geri Halliwell of The Spice Girls Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 26/07/1998: With Stevie Wonder Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 29/04/1999: With Boris Yeltsin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 09/12/1999: With Bill Gates AFP/Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 23/04/2001: With Lennox Lewis PA Mandela: a man of all the people 12/11/2001: With George W Bush EPA Mandela: a man of all the people 08/05/2002: With Robert De Niro, Hugh Grant and Whoopi Goldberg AFP/Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 11/12/2002: With Oprah Winfrey AFP/Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 21/05/2003: With David Beckham Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 28/11/2003: With Beyoncé Knowles and Annie Lennox AP Mandela: a man of all the people 11/03/2004: With Charlize Theron Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 24/05/2004: With Don King Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 16/09/2004: With Will Smith and daughter Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 02/09/2007: With Morgan Freeman Getty Images

The South African government also out against Mr Trump’s tweet, saying that the country “totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past”.