US lawmakers wants South Africa penalised for its links to Russia. US lawmakers ask Biden to postpone a US-Africa trade summit due to Russia’s “deepening military relationship.”
On October 24, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin, spoke with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a plenary session during the Russia-Africa summit in Russia.
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A group of US congressmen has urged for the relocation of a US-Africa trade summit scheduled for later this year from South Africa, citing the country’s “deepening military relationship” with Russia.
They also suggested in a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior officials that South Africa is in danger of losing its benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Washington’s flagship trade agreement.
South Africa will host the AGOA Forum in Johannesburg, a gathering of African leaders and US officials to discuss the program’s future, which is set to expire in 2025.
South Africa’s AGOA exports to the US hit roughly $1 billion in the first three months of this year, making it the program’s second-largest recipient behind Nigeria.
African nations are attempting to prolong AGOA, which offers qualifying countries preferential access to the US market for their products.
“We are seriously concerned that hosting the 2023 AGOA Forum in South Africa would serve as an implicit endorsement of South Africa’s damaging support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the letter, dated June 9, stated.
Clayson Monyela, a spokeswoman for South Africa’s foreign ministry, referred to the letter.
The Department of Trade and Industry in Africa, which controls the country’s trade relations with the United States, stated that it does not intend to react publicly to the letter.
Judd Devermont, President Joe Biden’s special assistant for Africa, said the White House shared Congress’ worry over South Africa’s potential security partnership with Russia.
He did not, however, indicate whether the administration was considering relocating the AGOA Forum.
I’m not going to get into the specifics of private conversations with South Africans, but be assured that we are having these conversations, he said at an online media briefing.
South Africa’s government has declared neutrality in the Ukraine conflict, and President Cyril Ramaphosa is part of an African leaders’ initiative.
The lawmakers, however, expressed dissatisfaction with South Africa’s hosting of joint naval operations with China and Russia in February, as well as plans for a BRICS summit to which Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited despite being charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
The MPs also appeared to back up the US ambassador to South Africa’s claim that a sanctioned Russian warship gathered armaments at a South African naval facility last year.
Officials in South Africa said they are unaware of such a weaponry transfer and have begun an independent investigation into the event.
Herman Mashaba, the former mayor of Johannesburg, announced on Twitter that he will write a letter to US senators requesting that they “give us a chance.”
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Give South Africa a chance until after the 2024 Provincial and National government elections.
South Africans should not be punished as a result of the ANC government choosing to be on the wrong side of history, he stated.
