US House of Representatives legislates for a review of America-South Africa relations | American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa

July 01, 2024

The US House of Representatives has passed legislation that would require the Biden administration to conduct a full review of America’s relationship with South Africa.

The legislation – triggered by opposition to Pretoria’s relations with Russia, China and Iran – would also oblige the administration to report to Congress on whether South Africa “has engaged in activities that undermine United States national security or foreign policy interests”.

The administration would also have to provide Congress with an overview of US defence cooperation with South Africa, including military exercises, arms sales and international military education and training, as well as report on South Africa’s defence cooperation with Iran, China and Russia.

These measures were submitted by Republican Representative John James as amendments to the huge annual National Defense Authorization Act. They were passed by a vote of 272 for and 144 against. Most of the votes in favour (211) were by Republicans but 63 Democrats also voted for James’s amendments.

The amendments were the operative clauses of a separate, dedicated bill – the US South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act – which James introduced into the House of Representatives in March.

In order to strategically engage with South Africa, it is necessary to ensure the United States government has a contemporary view of the bilateral relationship.

That bill had passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee but had not yet been debated by the full House. James is chairperson of the Africa subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

By inserting the operative clauses of his own bill into the National Defense Authorization Act – which this year totals $895.3-billion – James calculated they would have a surer and faster passage into law since the defence budget legislation is obligatory.

However, even though the full House has now adopted his amendments, the Senate still has to adopt them before they become law. It is not clear whether the Senate will agree as it is controlled by the Democratic Party which is more sympathetic to South Africa than the Republican Party-controlled House of Representatives.

James told the House when the amendments were being debated in June that they “would simply require the Biden administration to make a determination on whether South Africa’s actions are undermining the United States”.

“The current uncertainty in South Africa following last month’s elections makes the determinations required by this amendment all the more timely.

“In order to strategically engage with South Africa, it is necessary to ensure the United States government has a contemporary view of the bilateral relationship.”

James said he was proud that the US had had cordial relations with South Africa, including more than $8-billion which the US had spent in South Africa since 2003 to help it fight HIV/Aids through the Pepfar programme.

He added that trade had grown from $13.9-billion in 2015 to $21-billion in 2021, making South Africa America’s largest trade partner in Africa. More than 600 US businesses were invested in South Africa.

I’m concerned that Russia and Iran are seeking to buy official influence in South Africa.

“However, it’s clear to me that the ANC of today is no longer the party of Mandela,” he said. “The ANC continuously moves away from its traditional stance of non-alignment in international affairs,” James said.

He cited several examples of what he regarded as evidence of this shift, including South Africa’s display of “consistent and overt anti-Israel sentiment” since the Hamas attacks on Israel, “our number-one ally in the Middle East”, on 7 October 2023.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Israel-Palestine War

He also cited International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor accepting a call from the Hamas leader on 17 October and visiting Tehran to meet former president Ebrahim Raisi on 22 October; South Africa filing a “politically motivated and unfounded case” against Israel in the International Court of Justice; and Pandor saying in March this year that South Africa would arrest Israeli South Africans fighting in the Israel Defense Forces.

James also criticised the ANC’s “increased alignment” with China and Russia. This included the joint South African military exercises with China and Russia in February 2023, on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “I’m a military veteran. These drills and exercises are practising killing American sailors and soldiers,” James said.

He also chided the ANC government for hosting the BRICS conference in Johannesburg in August 2023.

And James said he was also concerned about “recent allegations of illicit financing flowing to the ANC from Russia and other malign actors in December”.

“The ANC allegedly accepted R10-million from the Kremlin-backed holding company called Chancellor House Trust,” he said, referring to the ANC’s investment arm which has a joint business venture with a Russian oligarch called Viktor Vekselberg in the lucrative mining company United Manganese of Kalahari.

“Prior to this donation, the ANC was all but bankrupt and law enforcement had begun to seize [its] assets,” James said. “Similar allegations exist relating to Iran. I’m concerned that Russia and Iran are seeking to buy official influence in South Africa.”

James said every sovereign nation had a fundamental right to chart its own direction. But the American people also had choices and if South Africa desired to remain a close US partner “it needs to meet us halfway”. DM