Vusimuzi Madonsela, South Africa's Ambassador to the Netherlands, and South Africa's Minister of Justice, Ronald Lamola, prepare to attend Hellering on January 11, 2024 as South Africa asks the court to take action regarding alleged human rights abuses by Israel in Gaza. doing. The Hague, Netherlands. On January 11 and January 12, the United Nations judicial body in The Hague, South Africa, asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule on Israel's possible acts of “genocide” in Gaza. . (Photo by Michelle Polo/Getty Images)
In response to the International Court of Justice's ruling that Israel may have committed genocide against Gaza, the US Congress has introduced legislation to overhaul the country's bilateral relationship with South Africa.
A bipartisan bill introduced this week by US Republican Rep. John James and Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz could threaten South Africa's prospects for benefiting from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, President Joe Biden, in consultation with the Secretaries of State and Defense, will certify to the appropriate committees of Congress an unclassified decision that clearly states: It stipulates that the information shall be made public. South Africa has engaged in activities that undermine the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.
Additionally, it provides that the U.S. government must submit to the appropriate Congressional committees a non-classified report justifying its decision based on the certificate.
U.S. Consulate spokesman David Feldman declined to comment. We will add ANC and government responses as they are received.
The bill accuses the ANC of acting inconsistently with its publicly stated policy of non-alignment in international affairs.
It says the South African government has a history of siding with bad actors.
Including Hamas and the Russian Federation.
The US Congress' bill argues that the South African government's support for Hamas dates back to 1994, when the ANC first came to power and took a hardline stance, consistently accusing Israel of practicing apartheid.
However, the ANC and the South African government are known to have ties to the Palestine Liberation Organization dating back to former president Nelson Mandela's term.
“On October 7, 2023, members of the South African government and leaders of the ANC, in the wake of the unprovoked, unprecedented and horrific attack on Israel by Hamas, in which Hamas terrorists killed and kidnapped hundreds of Israelis. has taken various actions against anti-Semitism and anti-Israel. Statements and actions related to.''
The US Congress says the anti-Semitic comments include those made by President Cyril Ramaphosa condemning Israel's genocide.
The newspaper said the anti-Semitic statements included one from International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor, who expressed concern about escalating violence and urged Israeli restraint.
Furthermore, Pandor “incited attacks through the continued illegal occupation of Palestinian land, the continued expansion of settlements, the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Christian holy sites, and the continued oppression of the Palestinian people.” He added that he implicitly blamed Israel.
The newspaper said the Palestinians' decision to respond to the atrocities of the settler Israeli apartheid regime was not surprising, and accused ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bengu-Motsili of anti-Semitic remarks.
“On December 29, 2023, South Africa filed a politically motivated lawsuit at the International Court of Justice falsely accusing Israel of committing genocide. China has increasingly closer ties with the Russian Federation, which has been accused of weakening its military.
human rights. The strong relationship between South Africa and Russia has been strengthened by military and political issues, such as the US-licensed Russian cargo ship Lady R being allowed to dock at a South African naval base in December 2022 to transfer weapons. ”, the bill states.
The report also notes that South Africa has sent several high-level official delegations to Russia to foster political, intelligence and military cooperation.
The parliamentary bill would strengthen South Africa's relationship with the ANC and its rulers, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has committed serious human rights abuses in Xinjiang and carries out economic coercion tactics around the world. states that it will undermine democracy. Constitutional system of governance.
These actions include what it claims is ongoing interparty collaboration between the ANC and CCP. Former U.S. and NATO fighter pilots hired to train Chinese People's Liberation Army pilots at South African Test Flight Academy. South Africa hosts six Confucius Institutes supported by the Chinese government and affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. South Africa's participation in a political training school in Tanzania funded by the Chinese Communist Party, and cooperation with China's global Belt and Road Initiative. and the extensive presence of Chinese state-owned enterprises in South Africa's media and technology sectors.
“The ANC-led South African government has a history of significant mismanagement of various national resources and has often proven unable to effectively deliver public services, threatening the South African people and the South African economy,” the bill states. is stated.
The bill comes after President Ramaphosa called for a worsening energy crisis, a “worsening multi-year electricity crisis caused by the ANC's chronic mismanagement of state-owned power company Eskom, due to endemic high-level corruption.” It has been accused of declaring a state of national disaster over the incident. .
The report states that Transnet's continued inadequate capacity, the ongoing cholera outbreak, the failure to provide clean water to households and rampant state capture are part of the ANC government's mismanagement of the state. It states that
