4 United States Members of Congress Ask Donald Trump To Cut Diplomatic Ties With South Africa

• Four Congress members from the United States called on President Donald Trump to sever diplomatic relations with South Africa
• In a letter they sent to him on 11 February 2025, the members accused South Africa of undermining the United States national interest
• They also called on Trump to revoke South Africa's participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and South Africans slammed them

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, provided local and international political analysis and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his nine years of experience.

PRETORIA — Four United States Members of Congress asked United States President Donald Trump to cut diplomatic ties with the South African government until it is prepared to engage the US government on the allegations it raised against Pretoria.

What did the congressmen say?

In a letter Palesa Morudu Rosenberg shared on her @Palesa_morudu X account, dated 11 February 2025, Congressmen Andrew Ogles, Tom Tiffany, Joe Wilson and Don Bacon praised Trump's leadership since he was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.

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They accused the South African government of undermining US national interests. The letter states that the South African government commits numerous human rights abuses, has a vendetta against Israel and embraces the Chinese Communist Party, the ruling part of the People's Republic of China.

The four congress members urged Trump to remind South Africa of what happens when American interests are marginalised. They called on Trump to cut diplomatic ties with the nation and cut it from the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA).

View the X letter here:

What you need to know about SA and the United States

• US President Donald Trump announced that foreign aid to South Africa, which contributes to HIV/AIDS programmes, would be cut after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act into law
• He also signed an Executive Order which opened the door for Afrikaners to be refugees in the country
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio further announced that he would not attend the G20 Summit in Johannesburg in November because of the alleged human rights violations the country commits against Afrikaners
• International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola slammed Trump's Executive Order and accused him of signing it on the grounds of misinformation and blatant lies
• Donald Trump also announced a 25% tariff increase on steel and aluminium products, which could affect SA's steel industry
• The Motor Industry Staff Association called on the government to repair the relations between the two countries

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South Africans' views

South Africans snubbed the congressmen's letter and accused the United States government and Trump of bullying tactics.

Nelisiwe said:

"The US is not the end of the world. The sooner we show this entitled bully the middle finger, the better. We will survive."

Mo said:

"This is bullying. How patronising! They have no regard for human rights unless it serves their interests."

Kagisano said:

"I've never read a letter from a state that prides itself on having the best intel in the world containing so many lies. They can kick SA out of the AGOA agreement but they shouldn't do so by peddling such lies."

Marang Setshwaelo said:

"This language is so rough! Reminds me of the way they would talk to us during apartheid."

Fallen Angel said:

"A good opportunity for SA to go ahead and implement the reforms. We always knew that this would happen and that it's not gonna be a smooth ride. The majority is willing to pay the price for building a better future for South Africa, with or without USA."

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President Cyril Ramaphosa calls for formal discussions with Trump

In a related article, Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa said he intends to engage Trump formally and not through public spats. Ramaphosa spoke on the sidelines of the Presidential Golf Challenge after delivering the State of the Nation Address on 6 February.

Ramaphosa reiterated that he would send a delegate to the United States and other countries, and added that he refused to engage in public spats or mudslinging with heads of state.

Source: Briefly News