Newly proposed US legislation targeting South Africa
A new legislative effort is underway in the United States (US) Senate, with the introduction of the “U.S.-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act.”
The bill, sponsored by Republican Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, calls for a comprehensive review of bilateral relations.
He cites South Africa’s alleged alignment with “U.S. adversaries, support for Hamas and several antisemitic actions following the October 7 terror attacks.”
This follows a similar measure in the House of Representatives introduced by Texas Republican Ronnie Jackson.
Together, the bills mark a rare instance of both chambers moving in step, signalling growing bipartisan frustration with the African National Congress’ (ANC) foreign policy.
“America’s foreign policy should always put American interests first,” said Kennedy. “The South African government has chosen to cozy up to Russia and China while making shameful, antisemitic attacks against our ally Israel.”
“This bill holds South Africa accountable and ensures our relationship is serving U.S. national security—not undermining it,” he added.
Joel Pollock, senior editor at Breitbart, told BizNews that Senate involvement shows deeper concern.
“If you have the Congress which is elected by the people passing this kind of legislation, it does mean the anger with the direction of South Africa’s foreign and domestic policies is no longer confined to this particular Trump administration — it reflects the will of the American people more broadly.”
Pollock warned that “the presence of a counterpart in the Senate indicates a serious effort underway… this is no longer a vanity project but a potential actual foreign policy step by the U.S. government.”
Focus on Israel, Hamas and Iran
Much of the legislation zeroes in on South Africa’s position on Israel and its ties with Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and proxy of Iran.
The bill claims South Africa has supported Hamas since 1994 and consistently accused Israel of apartheid.
After Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, South Africa’s Foreign Ministry urged Israeli restraint, implicitly blaming Israel, says Kennedy.
The next day, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said: “The decision by Palestinians to respond to the brutality of the settler Israeli apartheid regime is unsurprising.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of “genocide” at a pro-Palestinian rally.
Then-Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor spoke with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, visited Tehran to meet President Ebrahim Raisi, and urged the International Criminal Court to charge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with war crimes.
Other actions cited include Pretoria filing a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, hosting Hamas representatives in Pretoria, and Pandor threatening to arrest South African citizens serving in the Israeli Defense Forces.
The ANC even attempted to rename the street outside the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg to “Leila Khaled Drive,” after a Palestinian militant.
The bill argues these moves demonstrate “antisemitic and anti-Israel-related statements and actions” inconsistent with U.S. interests.
Ties with Russia, China and Domestic Failures
The legislation also flags Pretoria’s close ties with Moscow and Beijing. It cites South Africa allowing a U.S.-sanctioned Russian ship to dock and transfer arms, and hosting joint naval drills with Russia and China in February 2023.
Kennedy said that the ANC has also promoted Russian narratives on the Ukraine war in its party newspaper.
On China, the bill highlights ANC–Chinese Communist Party links, ex-U.S. and NATO pilots training Chinese forces in South Africa, and the spread of CCP-backed Confucius Institutes.
South Africa’s involvement in a CCP-funded political training school in Tanzania and the dominance of Huawei and ZTE in local tech are labelled national security concerns.
Domestically, the legislation points to corruption at Eskom and service delivery failures as evidence of a “chronically mismanaged government.”
If enacted, the bill would compel the U.S. President to certify whether South Africa undermines American interests, potentially triggering sanctions and ending trade benefits such as AGOA access.
Reactions to the legislation
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation has long responded to these criticisms, saying that its foreign policy should be independent of the US and rooted in multilateralism.
It has rejected calls to drop the ICJ case.
The ANC has hit back at these legislative attempts defiantly.
In a press briefing on 6 August, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula dared the US to “bring on” sanctions against some of its leaders, stating that South Africa would not “beg imperialists to subvert the country’s democracy.”
“If they want to bring sanctions on us, let them bring them. This country, South Africa, and all its citizens, know that it’s a democratic country, it’s a liberated country and we are still transforming this country in order to achieve equity.”
He added that transformation policies would not be abandoned under US threat: “We will still pursue redress; we are not equal in this economy. This economy is still male white dominated and you want to tell us to abandon policies that seek to advance transformation.”
Mbalula also framed the standoff as a matter of principle: “If we are punished for advancing and defending South Africa, that should be the case.”
In a statement on foreign policy, the ANC said that its “foreign policy is grounded in the pillars of Pan-Africanism, anti-imperialism, international solidarity, respect for international law and human rights, non-alignment, multilateralism, and the peaceful resolution of conflict.”
“We reject neo-colonialism, unilateralism, and all forms of domination that undermines the sovereignty and dignity of all nations.”
Read the full bill below:
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What Mbalula calls a “matter of principle” is a matter of shortsighted stupidity. How does he and lame duck Cyril believe this benefits us?