The hourglass is running out for South Africa, which has ignored the five American conditions for normalizing relations between the two countries with contempt for a year.
These conditions were handed to the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) exactly a year ago during the party’s historic visit to Washington and the White House, to be conveyed to the South African government.
This was done, but it was disregarded. The ANC, which views South Africa’s foreign policy primarily as its own domain, proceeded as if the US’s request did not exist.
This has boomeranged. A week ago, America directly suspended its Pepfar medical funding to South Africa because of this. Yesterday, the US Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, fired another warning shot across the bow with an X post that reads:
“The government of South Africa is rolling out the red carpet for Iran’s deputy minister of foreign affairs while its deputy president (Paul Mashatile) is in Beijing to strengthen ties between these countries. Pretoria says it is non-aligned, but we (the US) call it straight out: A choice. The people of South Africa deserve an honest conversation about who their government chooses to stand with.”
An Afrikaner delegation visited America in June 2025 to discuss, among other things, bilateral relations between the countries.
Meetings were held with senior officials from the White House, the Department of State, the Senate, the House of Representatives, agricultural organizations, and the Hudson Institute.
During the talks, the White House had five clear and fair conditions to restore relations with South Africa.
These are:
- Farm attacks must be classified as a priority crime, and more resources must be allocated to combat them.
- The utterance “Kill the Boer” must be openly and unequivocally condemned.
- No land expropriation may take place without fair market compensation.
- American businesses must be exempted from BEE (Black Economic Epowerment) requirements, which are viewed as a trade barrier.
- True non-alignment in international relations.
The recent withdrawal of about R8 billion in American Pepfar funding for health aid to South Africa is a direct result of South Africa’s refusal to take steps regarding these identified problem areas.
Washington has clearly not forgotten the conditions that were set, despite the ANC’s dismissive, “couldn’t-care-less” attitude in the likely hope that it might disappear over time or that it was just empty threats on the US’s part.
The reasons for the Pepfar decision were conveyed to stakeholders in the US Congress, where it was made clear that the action forms part of a general review of the relationship between the US and South Africa.
It was also emphasized that the cancellation of the funding should be seen as a strategic signal regarding the relations between the countries.
Like non-alignment in foreign relations, this concerns broader and general bilateral policy issues between the countries rather than isolated aspects thereof.
It is a pity that the ANC allowed this critical opportunity to restore ties to slip away, at the expense of all ordinary South Africans.
There can be no further dragging of feet on this matter, and the government will have to approach it with the necessary seriousness. America’s requirements will have to be placed back on the national agenda.
As far as the cancellation of the Pepfar funding is concerned, the ANC will have to accept responsibility for the suffering and loss of life that may result from the lack of vital medical assistance.
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