SA delegation to lobby against review of US relations

SA will send a high-level delegation to the US within the next two weeks to lobby against Washington enacting legislation for a full review of relations between the two countries.

Among delegation members will be newly appointed trade, industry and competition department officials, including minister Parks Tau.

The visit coincides with this year’s African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) forum in Washington DC from July 24-26. SA’s perceived closeness to China and Russia in the past year placed it in the crosshairs of US legislators.

In May the US House of Representatives passed legislation requiring the Biden administration to review SA relations with the US fully. The US-SA Bilateral Relations Review Act is not yet law as it needs to pass in the Senate and be signed into law by the US president.

“We will be in the US in two weeks at the Agoa summit, where we intend to engage ... members of Congress in discussions on what our position is on a whole range of issues as the SA government,” said Tau. He was speaking on the sidelines of the cabinet lekgotla in Tshwane over the weekend.

The bill says: “In contrast to its stated stance of nonalignment, the SA government has a history of siding with malign actors, including Hamas, a US-designated foreign terrorist organisation and a proxy of the Iranian regime, and continues to pursue closer ties with the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation.”

US-SA relations have been marked by tension for the past two years, sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The US and European governments are conducting an intensive campaign to rally African governments to oppose Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. SA chose to remain nonaligned.

The tensions between Pretoria and Washington have since subsided somewhat, with both parties acknowledging the mutually beneficial relationship after a series of diplomatic and economic engagements. 

Eligibility criteria for Agoa, which provides Sub-Saharan countries with preferential trade relations with the US, include that beneficiaries do not engage in gross violations of internationally recognised human rights or provide support for acts of international terrorism or engage in activities that undermine US national security or foreign policy interests.

For SA, Agoa provides preferential access for about 20% of its exports to the US, or 2% of its shipments exports globally. SA was the second-largest Agoa exporter in 2023, behind Nigeria, and the largest exporter of noncrude oil products ($3.6bn in 2023), supplying a range of products, including vehicles, yachts, jewellery, chemicals and fruit.

The 2024 Agoa biennial report, released in July, said SA does not support international terrorism, or undermine US security, but senior administration and congressional officials have voiced concern over the country’s positions on key geopolitical issues.

maekot@businesslive.co.za