“This article first appeared on www.familypolicyinstitute.com and is used with the author’s approval“
The ANC regime’s insane foreign policy has drawn global attention. Its cosy relationship with Russia, China and Iran is being scrutinised by US Congressman Senator Tim Scott in light of the trade benefits South Africa accrues through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Scott & others are moving to throw South Africa out of this lucrative program.
Fox Digital says, “South Africa is under fire for spending millions of dollars talking to terror group Hamas and sending delegations for cosy negotiations with U.S. adversaries Russia and Iran. Critics say the money would be better spent tackling the “chaos” back home.”
“South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world, rampant crime and widespread corruption, which led to large parts of Johannesburg having no water for 12 out of the past 13 days, and, nationally, power blackouts between four and 11 hours a day.”
“The U.S. helps South Africa gain billions of dollars a year in trade benefits through the African Growth and Opportunity Act or AGOA. Orde Kittrie, a law professor at Arizona State University and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital it’s time for South Africa to be thrown out of the program.”
“The ANC-led South African government has, in its relations with both Russia and Hamas, violated the requirement that AGOA beneficiaries not undermine U.S. national security and foreign policy and, concerning Hamas, violated the requirement that AGOA beneficiaries not “provide support for acts of international terrorism,” said Kittrie, who also served as a State Department attorney and policy official.
“The AGOA law’s requirements leave the Biden administration no choice but to terminate South Africa’s AGOA benefits unless such activities cease.”
“South Africa continually makes controversial diplomatic moves, including allowing Russian ships to play war games just off the coast and permitting a Russian arms ship, the Lady R, to dock at a South African military base. This has attracted the attention of Sen. Tim Scott, the ranking Republican member of the Senate subcommittee on Africa and a member of the Senate subcommittee on banking.”
“South Africa has harboured sanctioned Russian ships, expanded relations with Iran and issued statements against Israel’s right to defend itself following Hamas’ recent terror attacks,” Scott said in a recent statement.
The article continues, “Herman Mashaba, president of the relatively new political party ActionSA, told Fox News Digital, “The ruling party prioritizes Cold War-era alliances above the interests of the South African people. Our close relationship with Russia jeopardized investment into the country, which cost jobs which South Africa cannot risk losing.”
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“At the same time, 86 people are killed in South Africa per day,” Mashaba continued. “Every 11 minutes, a woman is raped in this country. The ruling party has in 30 years been unable to address these crises and instead pays attention to everything except finding solutions to these issues.”
A May 2023 article in the ‘Foreign Policy Research Institute’ entitled, “Democracy at Stake in South Africa” warns, “South Africa is on a troubling economic and political trajectory that risks the stability of the state. This trajectory could imperil democracy in South Africa and lead to some form of authoritarian government. The 2024 General Elections could become an inflexion point that pushes SA further toward a hybrid democratic-authoritarian regime.”
“ANC governance has given rise to structures that have enabled political elites to accrue tremendous power, wealth, and influence through corruption, patronage, and clientelism. As a consequence, South Africans are living in an increasingly flawed democracy plagued by state capture that has resulted in one of the most inequitable countries in the world.”
“One-party-dominant systems like South Africa tend to conflate the interests of the dominant party with the interests of the state. Over the last two decades, the government of SA has slowly but steadily moved away from full democracy toward a hybrid regime. This has coincided with sub-structural shifts in basic civil liberties, functioning of governance, freedom of the judiciary, participation in politics, & suppression of opposition.”
Legislation formulated by the ANC regime proves it is emulating its allies in Russia, China and Iran. The “General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill” (GILAB), the “Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill,” The “Hate Crimes Bill,” the single “Marriage Bill” and others grant the government sweeping powers to limit freedoms & control every sphere of social life.
The ANC regime’s disastrous record of governance and its insane foreign policy has set South Africa on a path to certain failure. Civil society must speak up boldly to rescue the country from a future of entrenched corruption, mismanagement and an authoritarian state.
