Ruinous: Up to 640 000 children in Gaza are being vaccinated against polio by Palestine’s health ministry, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. The US has suspended funding for the latter organisation until March 2025. Photo: Ashraf Amra/Anadolu/Getty Images
South Africa and the United States have been excellent partners since the advent of democracy, and we wish to retain that. We are, however, deeply concerned about efforts under way by some in the US Congress to undermine us.
South Africans have been surprised by recent developments, particularly the introduction of the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Bill brought by Republican congressman John James and Democrat Jared Moskowitz earlier this year calling on the US to review its relations with South Africa.
The Bill accuses South Africa of “being engaged in activities that undermine US national security or foreign policy interests”. The Bill also makes the uninformed claim that the South African government’s actions are inconsistent with its publicly stated policy of non-alignment in international affairs, and asserts that “the South African government has a history of siding with malign actors”.
The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, which has a Republican majority, verbally passed the Bill with 36 votes to 13 on 21 March, and it has now gone to the house to be debated and voted on.
The content of the Bill does not reflect the strong positive relationship between our two countries, or the intention of the South African government to strengthen that relationship. It also fails to respect the right of South Africa to maintain an independent foreign policy, which is the right of every sovereign nation — to choose their friends and partners.
Singling out South Africa for its relations with certain countries is offensive and unfair. The US maintains strong relations with countries that maintain close relations with nations the US may not consider friendly.
India, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are just some examples. Turkey is friendly with Russia and openly friendly with Hamas, and the US has recently agreed to send it F-16 fighter jets. These countries have not been the subject of a Bill calling for a review of their bilateral relations with the US.
South Africa’s foreign policy is deeply rooted in our values and principles, which are informed by our democratic Constitution, which are the same values that the US professes to share.
Since the advent of democracy, we sought to build a country on the foundation of human rights, which derives from our experience of oppression under apartheid. That foundation was laid by Nelson Mandela, and the positions that we have taken have reaffirmed our commitment to a human rights foreign policy.
It would be devastating if our relations with the US were to collapse over our attachment to human rights, justice and support for those struggling for their rights and freedom, such as the Palestinians.
Our government’s actions have been very much in keeping with our foreign policy position of active non-alignment. We have deliberately avoided aligning our country with any of the major powers or blocs, but rather sought to forge cordial relations with all countries.
When US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken launched the US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa at the University of Pretoria in August 2022, he said: “The United States will not dictate Africa’s choices. Neither should anyone else. The right to make these choices belongs to Africans, and Africans alone. At the same time, the United States and the world will look to African nations to defend the rules of the international system that they’ve done so much to shape.”
We could not agree more.
South Africa has been a catalyst for promoting inclusive dialogue, bridge-building diplomacy and peaceful resolution of conflict. We continue to pursue positions that are in keeping with the United Nations Charter and have always opposed violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states. Our non-aligned position does not mean that we condone Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, which has violated international law. We have decried the humanitarian disaster that has resulted from the military operations and called for the urgent opening of humanitarian corridors.
Last June, President Cyril Ramaphosa led a group of seven African leaders on a joint peace mission, for the first time beyond the borders of our continent, to meet the leaders of Ukraine and Russia in an effort to work towards bringing peace. Our most senior officials have played a pivotal role in the subsequent peace discussions on Ukraine that have been held in Copenhagen, Jeddah, Malta, Davos and, most recently, in Ukraine.
One of the major preoccupations of the Bill is South Africa’s position on the conflict in Gaza. There has been a particular focus on the case that South Africa brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where we argued that the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza violate international law and includes actions that are prohibited under the Genocide Convention, to which South Africa, Israel and many other countries are signatories.
Our application to the court is consistent with our obligations as a signatory to the Genocide Convention. In its ruling on provisional measures, the ICJ found “plausible” evidence that Israel was conducting a genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. The ICJ ruled that Israel must do everything to prevent genocidal acts in the territory. According to human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Israel has “failed to take even the bare minimum steps to comply”.
It is truly unfortunate that the passed Congressional Spending Bill bans US funding for the UN Refugees and Works Agency (UNRWA) until March 2025, despite it being the foremost agency on the ground in Gaza, where two million Palestinians stand on the verge of famine as a result of the Israeli siege. The UNRWA delivers healthcare, social services, education and refugee camps for 1.7 million Gazans. At the same time, the Bill allocates a further $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel, enabling it to continue its military offensive against the civilians of Gaza.
The suggestion that the position we have taken on the conflict in Gaza could lead to a deterioration of our relations with the US is unfounded. South Africa is the African continent’s powerhouse politically and economically, and the US needs us as a partner.
The International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook envisions South Africa’s GDP overtaking those of Nigeria and Egypt this year. South Africa has been a key driver of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and serves as a gateway to the continent.
South Africa is also a key partner for the US in conflict resolution on the continent; we play a leading role in peace and security initiatives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Mozambique, and together we can address unconstitutional changes of government.
South Africa is committed to advancing good governance and democracy as part of the African agenda, and we hope the US will remain our partner in building an industrialised, peaceful continent.
Since 1994, South Africa and the US have enjoyed a relationship based on mutual respect. This respect must not give way to unnecessary suspicion and tensions fanned by those seeking to undermine our relations, which are beneficial to both sides.
Shannon Ebrahim is a senior manager at the department of international relations and cooperation in South Africa.