The so-called land question has been a decades-long dilemma for South Africa. A new law seeks to right some of the wrongs of apartheid but has prompted claims from critics that it discriminates against White farmers.

US President Donald Trump has claimed that South Africa's new land laws will lead to the takeover of white-owned farms. Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still being owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid.

When they were hit this week by a Donald Trump social media grenade, panicked South African officials turned to an unconventional diplomatic back channel.