Washington ‘Recommits’ to Improve Bilateral Relations with South Africa

In a readout issued late Monday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, said he spoke by phone to his South African counterpart, Sydney Mufamadi, and that the two "recommitted to advance shared priorities including trade and investment, infrastructure, health, and climate."

On Wednesday, September 27, the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee heard from witnesses on Capitol Hill as it looked to reassess relations with Johannesburg.

John James, chair of the U.S. Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, took a swipe at South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, or the ANC, accusing its officials of "corruption and nepotism."

"South Africa has a choice in what partners to prioritize, but so too does the United States. I believe it is entirely appropriate to scrutinize the conduct of our important partner when the risks compromising is strong, dynamic bilateral relationship are at hand," James said.

"It is my belief that South Africa is currently at an inflection point, and I view the next several months as critical in demonstrating whether it will put our important partnership back on track."

Anthony Carrol is an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. He said despite the Southern African nation boasting of a very vibrant multi-party democracy with a robust civil society, it is becoming a "failing state," citing the state’s failure to deliver critical public services like electricity, and deadly xenophobia as examples.

But Carrol said despite the strained relations between the U.S. and South Africa, excluding the country from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) — a trade deal with eligible sub-Saharan African nations — would be detrimental.

"While I share the concerns of many about the direction of our relations with South Africa, I would oppose making it ineligible for AGOA. First, I do not believe that its embrace of Russia constitutes a direct threat to U.S. security. Second, goods exported to the United States provide critical jobs to South Africa and provide lower priced goods for the U.S. consumers. Third, South Africa's removal from AGOA would only play into the hands of anti-U.S. elements within the ANC and the radical EFF party (Economic Freedom Fighters, a far left-leaning political party)," he said.

Redi Tlhabi, a South African journalist, noted a recent survey — South Africa’s annual social attitude survey — that shows an increasing dissatisfaction of South Africans with democracy.

"From 59% satisfied with democracy in 2004 to only 32% satisfied. This research tells us that South Africans attach an instrumentalist value to democracy — it is a preferred form of governance in as far as it delivers on the socio-economic needs of many," she said.

"They (South Africans) do not attach to democracy because of its intrinsic value of equality before the law, they do not see it as the best political method to advance human rights, dignity freedom and equality, it is about basic services and the right to economic opportunities. These restore human dignity far more than anything else."

Tlhabi said even as some of South Africa’s foreign policy might be "disappointing," its democracy must not be left to collapse, saying Russia has been successful in countries where democracy is "flimsy." She mentioned Madagascar, Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Tlhabi added: "A strong economy keeps rogue nations out. We have seen Russia's aggressive return and re-engagement with the continent. And we must use the word return and re-engagement, because it suggests that there was a time when Russia left Africa which is not a message that it preaches."

Chris Maroleng, international chief executive officer at Good Governance Africa, a Johannesburg-based non-profit organization focused on promoting good governance in Africa, told the committee that, after overcoming colonialism and apartheid, the Southern African nation now faces two crucial challenges.

"The first being finding its place in a world entering a new era of great power competition and the post-apartheid states susceptibility to opportunistic governance and the mismanagement of our country's economy."

He also said South Africa’s neutral position in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is in sharp contrast to the country’s constitutional aspirations.

"Many see strategic non-alignment as incongruent with our constitutional aspirations of human dignity, the achievements of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedom," he said.

Johannesburg-based political analyst Marisa Lourenco told VOA that the South Africa’s foreign affairs minister Naledi Pandor did not take kindly to remarks by the experts before the U.S. Congress.

"(Naledi) Pandor said it is only official government delegates that should be commenting on South African affairs," she said.

"But of course, democracy doesn’t work that way. These people are part of civil society and are well within their rights to comment on South Africa and the direction in which it is going," Lourenco said adding, "and, so I don’t think that foreign minister (Naledi) Pandor’s comments have been well received."

The experts said the U.S. and South Africa have far more in common than with Russia such as a free press and an independent judiciary, and that such commonality could offer a road map to improve relations between both countries.

They also warned that strained relations between Washington and Johannesburg would have dire economic consequences on the continent, since South Africa serves as gateway to Africa.

There are almost 600 U.S. businesses in Africa.

VOA’s Anita Powell and Esther Githui-Ewart Contributed to this story.