US alarmed by SA’s dodgy friends – IRR
11 February 2023
The growing alignment of the African National Congress and the South African government with authoritarian regimes and terrorist organisations is not going unnoticed.
Earlier this week, U.S. lawmakers Rep. John James (Republican) and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Democrat) introduced the ‘U.S.-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act’ in the U.S. House of Representatives.[1] The draft legislation reflects a growing realisation that while South Africa claims to be ‘non-aligned’ on the global stage, its actions often do not reflect this.
Of particular concern to the lawmakers are the South African government’s close ties with China, Russia, and Hamas, ‘a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and a proxy of the Iranian regime’. These relationships are considered a potential threat to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.
If the draft legislation passes, it will oblige the U.S. administration to undertake a systematic review of South Africa’s activities to determine whether – as Congress suspects – they have undermined U.S. interests. Should this be confirmed, it could result in a substantial reordering of the relationship between the U.S. and South Africa.