🔒 US Congress pulls SA through the gutter in latest letter to President Trump

Key topics:

Congress urges Trump to revoke SA’s AGOA benefits due to human rights violations.
South Africa’s support for Hamas and anti-Israel stance criticised in the letter.
South Africa’s ties with China, including pressure on Taiwan, highlighted as a national security risk.

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Congress of the United States: Washington, DC ___STEADY_PAYWALL___

Dear Mr. President [Donald Trump],

The Golden Age of America has begun. In a matter of weeks, you have rejuvenated the American spirit. Countries whose governments have routinely undermined our national interest have met the full throttled resolve of this American government, and you have continued to defend the people of our great nation without question and without apology. These remarkable accomplishments notwithstanding, however, the Republic of South Africa is in apparent need of a reminder of what happens when American interests are marginalized. Due to its numerous human rights abuses, its vendetta against the State of Israel, and its embrace of the Chinese Communist Party, we urge you to revoke South Africa’s preference benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). We would also suggest that you consider suspending diplomatic ties unless that government is prepared to engage constructively with our own.

The ethnonationalist gangster regime in Pretoria, working to be the undisputed successor to Mao’s destructive land reform policies, has for years attempted to expropriate land from native South Africans without compensation.¹ Pretoria’s human rights abuses against her own citizens constitute a likely violation of 19 U.S.C. 3703 – specifically, that the South African government has failed to demonstrate a consistent fidelity to the rule of law. Violation of this (or any) AGOA eligibility requirement would make South Africa ineligible for preference benefits. First passed in 2000, AGOA affords eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the U.S. for most exports, in return for prioritizing free markets and the rule of law. Importantly, however, even the previous administration’s own assessment of South Africa’s human rights practices found significant abuses, including unlawful or arbitrary killings, arbitrary arrest or detention, serious government corruption, trafficking in persons, and extensive gender-based violence, including femicide.²

Pretoria’s continued insistence on undermining American security and foreign policy interests are similarly disqualifying under the eligibility requirements. In 2023, after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and murdered 1,200 Jews (and captured hundreds of hostages, including Americans), South Africa filed a baseless claim before the so-called International Court of Justice, absurdly accusing Israel of wanting to “[destroy] the Palestinians in Gaza.”³ A November 2024 report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) further highlighted the extent to which Hamas maintained close ties with the then-ruling party of South Africa, the African National Congress.⁴ In fact, South Africa has for over a decade allowed two Hamas-controlled “charities,” the Al-Aqsa Foundation and the Al-Quds Foundation, to operate within its borders.⁵ For decades, officials of the South African government have acted as Hamas propagandists, urging the international community to lift trade sanctions and otherwise engage with the U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization.⁶

In October 2024, several Members of Congress sent a letter to your predecessor and encouraged him to confront South Africa over its self-abasing advocacy of the Chinese Communist Party. At that point, South Africa had, without cause and in violation of a 26-year-old agreement, told Taiwan to move its representative office (which it owns) out of Pretoria. After a few months, South Africa has once again renewed its “request”, telling Taiwan – at the behest of the People’s Republic of China, no doubt – to move out by March 31, 2025. The PRC’s unabashed global commitment to Taiwan’s diplomatic marginalization, if successful, would provide every reason for the PRC to commit to an invasion of the island. This would be contrary to our national interest and the interests of those who prioritize peace over conflict.

South Africa is simply not deserving of duty-free access to the American market. After four years of a government that emboldened our enemies, Americans are thrilled to have a President willing to punish our adversaries and promote the national interest. We appreciate your consideration of our request and thank you for your extraordinary efforts on behalf of our fellow citizens – the United States of America is safer and stronger because of your generational leadership.

Very Respectfully,

Andrew Ogles, Member of Congress

Tom Tiffany, Member of Congress

Joe Wilson, Member of Congress

Don Bacon, Member of Congress

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