Elon Musk is reconnecting with his country of birth. In recent weeks, he has rustled up a global right-wing panic over South Africa’s land ownership laws and affirmative action policies, culminating in Donald Trump issuing an executive order ending the United States’ financial assistance to South Africa and welcoming ethnic Afrikaners,

Musk, who was born and raised in South Africa, has frequently accused its government of enacting “racist ownership laws” and failing to prevent what he has described as a “genocide” against white farmers. Last week, he directly challenged South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on X, asking, “Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?”

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