MEMBERS of the US Congress have written to President Trump urging him to revoke South Africa’s AGOA preferential trade privileges. They cite the countries support of Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (Hamas), and the attempted removal of the Taiwanese embassy in Pretoria, in addition to ‘destructive land reform policies’ and ‘consistent infidelity to the rule of law’, as violation of eligibility criteria for AGOA.
Four congressional members including Andrew Ogles, Joe Wilson, Tom Tiffany and Don Bacon penned a letter last week, claiming the United States had been marginalised under the ANC, and if Pretoria did not act ‘constructively’, to rather pursue a path that includes suspension of diplomatic ties and removal of trade privileges, in addition to sanctions.
Trump recently signed a presidential order suspending aid to South Africa, and granting refugee status to its white minority Afrikaner community over the signing into law of a ‘confiscation with nil compensation’ land reform bill. The new law opens the door to state seizure of private property in South Africa, in contravention of the constitution.
Pretoria’s consistent undermining of US interests such as “the filing of a baseless claim” before the International Court of Justice following the 7/10 ‘murder of 1 200 Jews including American citizens’ is mentioned. The congressmen are upset that South Africa claims Israel wants to ‘destroy the Palestinians’, while it enjoys close ties to Hamas, allowing two “Hamas-controlled charities” the Al Aqsa Foundation and Al Quds Foundation to operate freely within our borders.
“For decades, officials of the South African government have acted as Hamas propagandists, urging the international community to lift trade sanctions and otherwise engage with the US-designated foreign terrorist organisation.” The Islamist group whose charter calls for the elimination of Israel and its replacement by a clerical dictatorship under a Pan-Arab constellation of states, is opposed to the secular rights and freedoms outlined by South Africa’s own constitution.