South Africa’s defiance deepens US rift: Diplomats expelled, ties fray over Israel stance

Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Kerry Lanaghan.South Africa’s diplomatic rift with the United States continues to deepen, marked by the expulsion of senior envoys and the chilling of long-standing military and strategic ties. Most recently, Thandie Babalwa Sunduza, South Africa’s consul general in Los Angeles, was dismissed by the US State Department following the earlier exits of Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool and military attaché Brigadier General Richard Maponyane.These high-level departures signal a deteriorating relationship between Washington and Pretoria, exacerbated by South Africa’s refusal to withdraw its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). “We will not withdraw from the court. It’s a matter of international law,” Justice Minister Ronald Lamola declared at the ANC’s recent National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, reinforcing the party’s unflinching stance.The US has responded with a series of sharp measures, including cuts in military cooperation, slashed funding, and cancelled deals. The Trump administration, in particular, has taken an aggressive posture, with President Trump issuing executive orders targeting South Africa and nominating Leo Brent Bozell III - a staunch pro-Israel advocate - as the new ambassador to Pretoria.While the ANC insists it wants dialogue, its actions tell a different story. Political analyst Steven Gruzd observed, “Just when you think they can’t get any worse, they do.” He added, “Having more diplomats leave the US is a sign of how bad the bilateral relationship is.”Despite these diplomatic setbacks, the ANC remains committed to a principled foreign policy. First Deputy Secretary-General Nomvula Mokonyane insisted, “We reject neo-colonialism, unilateralism, and all forms of domination that undermine the sovereignty and dignity of all nations.” She linked the fallout to “right-wing disinformation” and accused ideological opponents of undermining South Africa’s global standing.Some analysts believe influential figures are shaping US policy towards South Africa behind the scenes. Gruzd noted that “a group of at least four ex-South Africans, including Elon Musk and David Sacks, are shaping Trump’s views of South Africa,” referring to them as part of the so-called “PayPal Mafia.”Critics of the ANC, however, accuse the party of allowing ideology to override pragmatism. Joel Pollak of Breitbart News was blunt: “The ANC-led government… has chosen a collision course, not just with the United States, but with reality.” He argued that “hatred of Israel means rejecting success,” tying South Africa’s foreign policy to more profound domestic failings.As US-South Africa relations teeter, the ANC’s defiance may come at a steep economic and diplomatic cost. Whether the party can maintain its moral high ground while salvaging key international partnerships remains to be seen.(This article is a précis of a piece originally published in Jewish Report and can be read in full here.).Read also:.Speak now or pay later: South Africans urged to fight unfair budgets as municipal plans hit the tableThe staggering cost of BEE: Billions lost, opportunities squanderedTariffs are just the tip: Ray Dalio warns of a looming global systemic reset