Why Is South Africa (SA) Facing United States Of America (USA) Wrath?

"If a snake bites your neighbor, it means you're also in danger_" ... African Proverb.

Introduction
Though the Republic of South Africa is not officially under any international ban or sanctions, of late, South Africa has and is facing various forms of pressure, penalties and diplomatic challenges in various international foras, platforms and arenas from (US).Why has it turned out like that? What has South Africa done or not doing to warrant a litany of punitive measures which are being contemplated by the US against SA? Geopolitical friction, economic clash, diplomatic wrangles and ideological confrontations explain why off late US- SA relations have become strained. With US now in an open drive to punish & penalize SA.

US Executive Order: Addressing Egregious Actions Of The Republic of South Africa

On 7 February 2025, President Trump signed the following Executive Order: “Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa”,(1). It is directed at South Africa’s:

"shocking disregard of its citizens’ rights [when it] recently enacted Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 to enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property(land) without compensation. This Act follows countless government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business, and hateful rhetoric and government actions fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners"

"In addition, South Africa has taken aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas , of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements.”

"It is the policy of the United States that, as long as South Africa continues these unjust and immoral practices that harm our Nation that the United States shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa; and shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation".

"All executive departments and agencies… shall halt foreign aid or assistance delivered or provided to South Africa and shall promptly exercise all available authorities and discretion to halt such aid or assistance. The head of each agency may permit the provision of any such foreign aid or assistance that, in the discretion of the relevant agency head, is necessary or appropriate".

" The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take appropriate steps… to prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination. Such plan shall be submitted to the President through the Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor".

There are some factual errors in this Executive Order and President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in recent statements, pointed some of them out. First and foremost, there is no discrimination or government sponsored discrimination or genocide against White Afrikaners farmers in SA. Secondly, as President Ramaphosa said South African authorities were not “confiscating land” and that Ramaphosa's government was looking forward to working with the Trump administration “over our land reform policy.”

SA Geopolitical Alignment
SA geopolitical alignment is more of an active non-alignment strategy.The key is remaining independent in power competition between (US vs. China/Russia) while allowing SA to pursue national interests through multi-alignment. Multi- alignment means enhancing strong ties with the Global South (BRICS), Europe, and the US at the same time. Such a complex approach balances historical solidarity with China/Russia as well as taking aboard economic needs with the West. This pushes for a more multipolar world.This puts SA (as a major African economic powerhouse) in a position to become a significant "swing state" that engages with all major power blocs to maximize development opportunities and avoid choosing sides. Hence, SA seeks to champion the United Nations (UN), BRICS, G20, and advocates for reformed global governance, positioning itself as a voice for developing nations.And deliberately avoids too much dependence on one power bloc (US, EU, China, Russia) so as to maintain diplomatic flexibility and economic benefits. The logic is to cultivate relationships across the spectrum, balancing engagement with the West (trade, investment) and partners like China (BRICS, trade) and Russia (historical ties, security offers). However, for US and her allies, SA maintains closer and very closer ties with China and Russia much to US chagrin.

Russia- Ukraine War, March 2022
In March 2022, SA abstained from voting in the United Nations (UN) on a resolution condemning Russia for invading Ukraine.Twenty-eight (28) African states voted in favour of that resolution.SA abstained from voting. Primarily it is because the African National Congress (ANC) has long standing bonds with Russia forged during the anti- apartheid era struggles.Russia is seen in that context as one of the “progressive forces” that supported ANC struggle against apartheid.Following this absenteeism from voting against Russia in 2023, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers called for former president Joe Biden to punish SA for not condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and for having military and close diplomatic ties with Moscow.

South Africa Israel Genocide Case, ICC (2023).

SA has been highly critical of Israel's military operation in Gaza.The ruling Africa National Congress (ANC) has a long history of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.It draws parallel with it's anti- apartheid to the Palestinian struggle with Israel hence, it is highly critical of Israel.

"our opposition to the ongoing slaughter of the people of Gaza has driven us as a country to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ)", said President Cyril Ramaphosa of SA.

"As a people who once tasted the bitter fruits of dispossession, discrimination, racism and state- sponsored violence, we are clear that we will stand on the right side of history "

" And as a "signatory to the (UN)'s 1948 Genocide Convention, it has an obligation to act", SA says. And indeed SA acted by taking Israel to ICJ for genocide and acts of genocide in Gaza Strip & West Bank.

Israel fiercely rejected SA' s claims that Tel Aviv admnstration of Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible for genocide and acts of genocide in Gaza Strip.

"it is not we who have come to perpetrate genocide, it is Hamas. It would murder all of us if it could" , Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel

Israel argues that it's intention is not to destroy Palestinians but Hamas. Israel pointed out that it would ignore any order from ICJ to halt offensives in Rafah or anywhere else in Gaza.This act by Pretoria admnstration of taking Israel to ICJ for crimes of genocide did not settle well with Washington DC admnstration.

South Africa Land Policy
While black South Africans make up more than 90% of the population, they only hold 4% of all privately owned land, according to a 2017 report. In January of 2025, Ramaphosa's government signed a Bill on Land Expropriation. But at the moment no land has been expropriated.The US has criticised domestic South African policy, accusing the government of seizing land from white farmers without any compensation. In January President Ramaphosa signed a controversial law allowing the government to seize privately owned land without compensation in certain circumstances, when it is deemed "equitable and in the public interest". This, the SA government is trying to address some historical injustices which manifest themselves in current radical inequalities currently on display in South Africa. It needs to be noted that 70% of agricultural land is in the hands of descendants of Afrikaners.The SA Land Expropriation Bill is alleged discrimination against Afrikaners, intensified by lobby groups, leading to US's aid freezes and diplomatic friction with Pretoria.

SA Ambassador Chased Away From Washington DC

On 14 March 2025, the US declared South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, persona non grata and gave him four days to leave.Why? Because Ambassador Rasool had described Trump’s movement as mobilising a “supremacist instinct” and “white victimhood.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X calling Rasool a “race-baiting politician who hates America and POTUS.” Pretoria called the move “regrettable".

Spectacle Oval Office Meeting - 21 May 2025

When President Cyril Ramaphosa walked into the Oval Office on Wednesday 21 May 2025 he looked like a man on a mission, intent on negotiating.Trying to build a real mutual partnership between Africa and the United States of America (US). Ramaphosa came with ideas, solutions which might help US renew it's commitments and regain the trust of a continent (Africa) which is now looking elsewhere for partnering for it's own prosperity and development. Or so he (Ramaphosa) thought. But what Ramaphosa got that day, in that meeting was a lecture, a performance, a bag of accusations, explosive claims of genocide & land seizures live on TV with cameras rolling. Cherry picked pictures and videos shown as proof or hard evidence of White Afrikaners genocide in SA.Videos of Malema public stunts. All for what? To push a narrative...a narrative of Afrikaner White farmer genocide in South Africa.

Afrikaner author Max du Preez told the BBC's Newsday radio programme that claims of persecution of white South Africans were a "total absurdity" and "based on nothing ". Even Trump's evidence of Afrikaner genocide in SA was fake. The picture was shot somewhere in Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC). The photo was fake not staged. Real, yes, but unrelated to South Africa. One of the photos or picture Trump used as evidence of "white genocide" in South Africa is fake, though real, it is unrelated to South Africa, but actually is taken from a video shortage taken February 2025, after the aftermath of M23 deadly attack on East DRC city of Goma. Casualties in those body bags are blacks not "white farmers in South Africa". The footage from which the picture was taken was filmed by Reuters video journalist Djaffar Al Katanty.

"That day, it was extremely difficult for journalists to get in ... I had to negotiate directly with M23 and coordinate with the ICRC to be allowed to film," Al Katanty said.

Al Katanty said seeing Trump holding the article with the screengrab of his video came as a shock.

"In view of all the world, President Trump used my image, used what I filmed in DRC to try to convince President Ramaphosa that in his country, white people are being killed by Black people," Al Katanty said.

Refugehood Status For White Afrikaners Farmers

In response to the so called "White Genocide" Trump sought US to grant refugeehood status to fleeing White Afrikaners farmers. Trump gave 59 VISAS to the first group of white Afrikaners farmers supposedly fleeing from "genocide in South Africa". The first group arrived at Dulles airport near Washington DC on Monday 12 May, 2025 where they were granted refugee status. Melissa Keaney, a lawyer with the International Refugee Assistance project, told the BBC the White House's decision to fast-track the Afrikaners' arrival amounted to "a lot of hypocrisy and unequal treatment".

The processing of refugees in the US often takes months, even years, but this group has been fast tracked. UNHCR - the United Nations High Commission For Refugee agency - confirmed to the BBC it was not involved in the vetting, as is usually the case.The Trump administration has halted all other refugee admissions, including for applicants from warzones. Human Rights Watch described the move as a cruel racial twist, saying that thousands of people - many black and Afghan refugees - had been denied refuge in the US. President Donald Trump has said the refugee applications for the country's Afrikaner minority had been expedited as they were victims of "racial discrimination". Asked directly on Monday why the Afrikaners' refugee applications had been processed faster than other groups, Trump said a "genocide" was taking place and that "white farmers" specifically were being targeted.

"Farmers are being killed, they happen to be white, but whether they're white or black makes no difference to me".

Trump's trade tariffs on South Africa

7 July 2025, President Donald Trump of the United States of America (USA) announced, in a letter addressed to President Cyril Ramaphosa, that a tariff rate of 30%

"on any and all South African products sent into the United States"

will be imposed from 1 August 2025. President Trump also indicated on social media that

"Any Country aligning itself with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff ".

It is not clear what Trump meant by this. However, it needs to be noted that no other African government has probably invested as much effort salvaging its trade relationship with the US as SA has done. President Ramaphosa visited Washington DC, his admnstration tried to negotiate a deal with Washington DC, and it offered to buy US liquefied natural gas and to invest $3.3 billion in that economy in a "framework deal” proposed by Pretoria,(2). But such efforts were fruitless. Pretoria even made a last-minute ditch effort to improve it's offer, to no avail,(3). On 8 August 2025, SA was slapped with a 30% tariff on South African exports to the US, significantly, this tariff exempts platinum, titaniumband other raw materials vital to the US auto industry. Ramaphosa protested the measure as a major blow to jobs and growth. South African officials say the US tariff could cause tens of thousands of job losses,(4), especially in the agriculture and automobile manufacturing industries. Despite efforts by Pretoria for negotiations, in the end, President Trump made a unilateral decision; there were no real negotiations. The legal basis for the US’s Reciprocal Tariffs is a presidential Executive Order of 31 July 2025.

Proposed US laws to punish South Africa are piling up

As the relationship between SA and the US has soured over the past few months, Washington DC admnstration has been mooting three (3) punitive pieces of legislation proposed to penalise SA.

Punitive Bill 1
US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025 -2633

This bill is a brainchild of Congressman Ronny Jackson.The bill enables US to sanction a selection of South African government officials and African National Congress (ANC) leaders.According to Jackson,

“the actions of factions within the ANC…are inconsistent with the South African Government’s publicly stated policy of nonalignment in international affairs".

Jackson further argues that the ANC has a history of siding with “malign actors” such as Hamas , and continues to pursue closer ties with China and Russia. And again, according to Jackson, the ANC-led government has a history of,

“substantially mismanaging state resources and has often proven incapable of effectively delivering public services.”

The bill cites,
“chronic mismanagement” at Eskom, the inefficiency of Transnet, outbreaks of cholera and “rampant state capture”, as proof of the ANC’s failures.

According to the Bill, it is in the “national security interests ” of the US to deter South Africa’s strategic cooperation with Russia, China and Hamas.

Punitive Bill 2
US South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act -2752

This Bill was tabled by Congressman John Kennedy in the Senate on 10 September 2025. In essence ,it is much the same with Senator Jackson proposed Bill,but this bill goes a step further proposing that the US remove SA as a beneficiary of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), as well as of the Trade Act of 1974. AGOA was implemented in 2000, providing eligible countries with duty-free access to the US market for over 1,800 products. 32 countries are currently benefiting from AGOA, including South Africa.

Punitive Bill 3
Extension and Bilateral Engagement Act of 2025 -2958

This Bill was tabled to amend AGOA and totally exclude SA from AGOA. It was tabled by Congressman Kennedy. Since AGOA programme ends this year, 2025 another proposal to deepen trade and investment flows between the US and beneficiary countries, but offcourse, not SA. And according to the bill decision of which countries will be included will be made according to the AGOA criteria, as well as,

“capacity to comply with obligations under agreements with the United States.” And the bill further states countries will also be be chosen based on,

“respectfor democratic governance, rule of law and human rights.”

The bill categorically makes it clear that SA will not be among the selected countries and will no longer be part of AGOA or any future such arrangements.

All of the proposed punitive bills to deal with SA include a condition that President Trump draw up a comprehensive review of the relationship between the US and SA.Then a report be provided,

“explicitly stating whether South Africa has engaged in activities that undermine the national security or foreign policy interests of the US", will be provided, with detailed justification for the punitive measures.

G20 2025 Summit Drama...US Boycotted!
G20 2025 Johannesburg Summit came and went but the topical issue was absent of US. Donald Trump explained that it was a "total disgrace" for SA to hold the summit on its soil.

" Afrikaners are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated", Trump wrote.

"No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue.I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida !"

And indeed, no US official was present at the Johannesburg 2025 G20 Summit,but towards the end of the summit Trump sent an official to receive the gavel (as per tradition..a country holding the Summit next should have). SA refused to handing off the G20 presidency to a senior representative from US Embassy, who attended the closing ceremony.

Disinvitation to 2026, G20
"Therefore,at my direction, SA will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the great city of Miami, Florida, next year "

Trump went further to explain this disinvitation of SA to next year 2026 G20 summit.

"SA has demonstrated to the world they are not a country worthy of membership anywhere, and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately.Thank you for your attention to this matter!".

Response To Disinvitation for G20, 2026

SA foreign affairs released a statement in response saying,

"SA is a member of G20 in it's own name and right. Its G20 membership is at the behest of all other members", the statement continued,

"SA is a sovereign constitutional democratic country and does not appreciate insults from another country about its worth in participating in global forums. SA will never insult another country or it's standing in the community of nations. It is regrettable that despite the efforts and numerous attempts by President Ramaphosa & his administration to reset the diplomatic relationship with the US, President Trump continues to apply punitive measures against SA based on misinformation and distortions about our country".

Bully In The Classroom of Nations
Professor Carlos Lopes, from the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town and associate fellow in the Africa programme at Chatham House, said Trump’s decision was no “surprise”. “What this announcement really shows is a familiar pattern: "the bully in the classroom who refuses to follow the rules, but still wants to dominate the discussion ,” Lopes told Al Jazeera.

“It is less about South Africa per se and more about a worldview that treats international institutions as instruments of pressure rather than arenas for collective problem-solving,” Lopez added.

Lopes said the G20 “disinvitation” will certainly “deepen the rift ” between SA and US. SA’s presidential spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, told the BBC that G20 members,

“should by now accept there won’t be a reset of the relationship”, between SA and the US.

“If visas are denied, well, then we will have to move on and look beyond the G20 in the US,”, Magwenya said.

This disinvitation of SA to G20 2026 shows that,

“it reinforces the perception in South Africa and *in much of the Global South* – that Washington is prepared to instrumentalise institutions whenever a partner does not align with its preferences,” Lopes told Al Jazeera.

“Ironically, by attempting to punish South Africa in a high-profile forum like the G20, the US risks accelerating exactly what it claims to fear: a greater geopolitical distancing and a narrative of US unreliability as a partner ,”Lopez concluded.

Conclusion
South Africa(SA) and the United States of America (US) occupy prominent positions on the world stage. South Africa is an African regional powerhouse, and the United States of America is a global superpower. The diplomatic relationship between the two, has of late unravelled.Geopolitical friction, arguments over treatment or ill- treatment of White Afrikaners farmers in SA, the SA land Expropriation Bill, proposed US punitive bills against SA, has seen 2025 as a year defined by economic, diplomatic, strategic and ideological confrontations between SA- US. It is safe to say SA- US relations have hit a new low and the relations are facing a historic breakdown point.US is in full mode to punish and penalize SA.But why is SA being penalized? Is it the price of taking Israel to ICJ, accusing Israel of genocide? Is it because of South Africa geopolitical alignment? Is it the price for seeking to redress colonial and apartheid racial land imbalance? Is it crime sometimes directed against white farmers that is erroneously dubbed "white farmer genocide" in South Africa? Is it the price of tabulating global South concerns at the G20 summit in Johannesburg? All this can explain why US is so desperate to punish SA.

F. Madondo (African Teacher) fortmada123@gmail.com

References

1. For its text, see Addressing Egregious Actions of The Republic of South Africa, The White House, 7 Feb 2025
2. South Africa outlines support measures in response to US Tariffs, Reuters, 4 August 2025
3. South Africa readying last minute trade offer to avoid US tarriff,Reuters,31 July 2025
4. Trump's Tariffs put 100,000 jobs at risk in South Africa, central bank chief says,Reuters,16 July, 2025

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