The United States - South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025
by Moses AK Kau
12 September 2025
The decision of the United States to consider the relations with South Africa, through the United States South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025, and imposing a sanction against the Leaders in the African National Congress, should not come as a surprise. This Bill has now passed and has approval of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. However, in order for it to be an Act, it should still pass through the House of Representative, and later the Senate before President Trump can sign it into law.
For sometime now, the United States has been irked by the principled stance that the African National Congress and the ANC led South African Government has taken over a number of issues, based on our foreign policy and foreign policy perspectives, and the geopolitical approach.
We live in a world that is and should be multi-polar where all countries, regardless of size, or economy, should be treated with respect and decorum, and as equals.
Yes. The United States has emerged a dominant factor in world politics and wields enormous power and influence in world politics.
South Africa is an important part and member of the international community. It has its own sovereignty and interdependent foreign policy and choice. South Africa plays an important and critical role in international politics, conventions, and in multilateral fora.
It has the right to chose with which countries it should have bilateral relations, and to which multilateral or regional bodies it should subscribe and be a member of.
Unlike before the advent of democracy where the apartheid South Africa saw itself as an island of comfort in a sea of poverty in the African Continent, or as a European outpost at the southern most tip of Africa, South Africa ‘s foreign policy perspectives puts emphasis and huge significance to relations within the Southern African Region, the African Continent, the rest of the Developing Countries and the World.
In doing so, South Africa, respects its relations with other countries, especially those that were there during the war of liberation. This informs South Africa’s relations with countries such as the republic of Cuba, People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Russian Federation et al.
The relationship between Democratic South Africa and the Governing Party, with the United States government, came with the rapport President Nelson Mandela established with the succeeding United States Presidency of Presidents Bill Clinton, Barak Hussein Obama, and Joe Biden.
True, South Africa ca not ignore the critical importance the United States hold for South Africa, politically economically, socially and otherwise.
The United States is South Africa second biggest trading partner after China. It is South Africa ‘s major export market and source of foreign direct investment. In 2024 alone, the pecuniary interest on this was ($14.7 billion).
Through the United States ‘s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) South Africa was able to get assistance for the combat, care, prevention, and treatment of HIV and AIDS. This aid comprised of at least 17% of what the South African government puts into Health as a National Budget. This aid, assisted South Africa to inter alia, treat at least 5.5 Million people per year. The South African government ‘s Health Department, had projected that this aid will help South Africa to prevent half a million deaths in South Africa between 2025 and 2035.
Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which President trump had decided to close down, South Africa benefited greatly in the areas of economic development, health including Tuberculosis, and health systems strengthening, governance, food security amongst other areas. So this is critical for South Africa as a country and as a People.
There are more than 600 American Companies invested in South Africa, creating not less than 148000 direct and indirect jobs in South Africa.
The United States Tourism contribution to South Africa per year, brings about 350 000 visitors to this country. In 2024 alone, South Africa received 372 262 visitors and 353 975 in 2023.
At least to date, South Africa is deriving benefit from participation in the United States ‘s African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which has to date given South Africa and other qualifying countries preferential trade and duty free access to the US market which was worth $3.7 billion in 2024 to South Africa in 2024. Of course, if the United States goes ahead with the imposition of their 30% tariffs, South Africa shall suffer economically as a country.
Even though this 30% tariff is applicable to many other countries, it seems to be punishing South Africa as President Trump himself, has mentioned that the tariffs will start at 15% for a number of countries with African countries getting even as little as 10%.
What has brought us here?
According to the United States, South Africa is led by corrupt Leaders. Further, the United States hold the view that South Africa is taking away land belonging to the white minority, and are involved in genocide. This refers to the sovereign decision of South Africa, in order to correct the wrongs of the past, by introducing the Land Expropriation Act of 2025.
Genocide is defined in terms of the Genocide Convention as, “the killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting physical destruction, imposing measures intended to prevent births, forcibly transferring children to another”.
Clearly there is no genocide in South Africa, and President Trump and the United States know it. South Africa is also, accused of killing white farmers. Crime Statistics point to the fact that the murders of farmers is not targeted only against the white farmers but is across board, regardless of race.
The truth is that there is a ‘wholesale’ issues that the United maybe punishing South Africa for. They range from the suspicion that South Africa is supporting the Russian Federation in its war with Ukraine. In 2022, the then United States Ambassador to South Africa, H.E. Mr Reuben Brigety II, has alleged that the Lady R ship that was seen docked in the Simonstown harbour, was taking arms and ammunition to Russia for use in the war with Ukraine. Ambassador Brigety had the latitude to make such allegations without providing any shred of evidence. Of course on investigation, these allegations were found not to be true.
The United State, at least from literature and reports, may be punishing South Africa for, but not limited to the following: -
a. Their perception of created impression that South Africa was blocking the investments of Mr Elon Musk into South Africa. [Mr Musk has invested in Space-Ex, and Star-Link and would like to amongst others, extend his investment in Star-Link into South Africa.
b. South Africa ‘s support to the innocent women and children of Palestine who are killed daily by the Israeli defiance force, with the full support (militarily and otherwise), of the United States government.
c. Taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). On this one, President Trump did not hesitate to cut aid to South Africa.
d. South Africa ‘s relations with Cuba, Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation. The United States see South Africa’s good relations with these countries as South Africa’s support to “Authoritarian Regimes”. South Africa’s relations with these countries, especially, Cuba, and the People Republic of China (PRC), should be sacrosanct and should not depend on the whims of the United States. Cuba, despite its size and the size of its economy, took the risks and stood with South Africa and South Africa reciprocated and stood by the people of Cuba through the American Embargo against Cuba which embargo has devastated the economy and the lives of the people of Cuba.
e. Coupled to the United States being unhappy with South Africa for relations with the People’s Republic of China, the United States is further, angered by South Africa’s having downgraded the relations with Taiwan and South Africa acknowledging and recognizing the One China Policy which gives South Africa’s recognition to the PRC as the sole Representatives of the Chinese People and Taiwan and Taiwan as an integral part of China or as one of the provinces or China (PRC).
f. South Africa’s relations with, and participation within the BRICS Family of Nations. The United States sees BRICS as a threat to their world dominance in geo-politics, the United States hegemony and influence in the world, and a threat to the power of the United States Dollar in view of the possibly coming de-dolarization of the economies of the BRICS countries. President Trump may be using action against South Africa as sounding a chilling reminder to all other BRICS+ member states, on what may befall them as BRICS+ countries.
g. In South Africa ‘s relations with these countries, the United States wants the world to believe that South Africa is having co-operation and support the communists, terrorists (referring to Hamas and the Palestinian Liberation Organization). Further, the United States see South Africa’s Foreign Policy as siding with the ‘anti-American’ and ‘authoritarian regimes.
Sanctions on ANC Leaders:
If the Bill goes through, the consequences may be catastrophic for South Africa. South Africa may be heading for a economic recession affecting prices, employment, affect domestic political situation.
With regards the Leaders of the ANC, the identified ANC Leaders (they have not yet been identified), will not be able to travel to the United States. Who knows? Maybe they may not be able to travel abroad without the risk of being arrested.
The United States will possibly seize their properties and assets if they have assets abroad or outside South Africa. Their families too, may be blocked from entering the United States or blocked from traveling outside South Africa. If one reads from the applications of these sanctions on other individuals in the past.
All their property (if they have property in the United States (or countries which are friends of the United States) will be blocked.
All entities that they may own (directly or indirectly) will also be blocked.
They will be blocked from making any international financial transactions. This means they will not be able to use SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Inter-bank Financial Telecommunication.
My advice to the President of the ANC, and the country, is that the president compose a Delegation of eminent and influential South Africans of stature, to undertake a visit to the United States, to meet with members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, to present South Africa ‘s case.
These eminent persons could include former President Thabo Mbeki, former Deputy President Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ncuka, and one or two inter-denominational Faith Leaders.
This visit and engagements should be before this Bill reaches the House of Representative, and later the Senate.
This visit, may in my view, just about turn around this situation.
This action is made even more urgent and desirable in view of the fact that since South Africa’s Ambassador, H.E. Comrade Ebrahim Rasool was declared ‘person non grata’ in the United States, and no replacement yet, and the fact that Mr Mcebisi Jonas, appointed as a Special Envoy, is also, still not engaged with the American decision makers in the economy of the United States.
[Moses AK Kau is a former South African Diplomat with stints in Mozambique (ONUMOZ - Accordo de Paz), Botswana and Germany (Hanover 2000). He writes in his personal capacity].