A bill to sanction senior South African government and ANC officials who support  what they call their "adversaries" was introduced in the US Congress THIS WEEK. The US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025 mandates a comprehensive review to identify South African government officials and leaders of the ANC who may be subject to sanctions for their alleged support of American adversaries such as China, Russia and Iran. Introducing the bill Congressman Ronny Jackson accused South Africa of abandoning its relationship with the United States to align with Beijing, Moscow and Tehran.
Following hot on the heels of this bill was the unveiling by Republican Texas Congressman Troy Nehls of the Asylum for Farmers and Refugees in Crisis and Necessary Emigration Resettlement Act, dubbed the "Afrikaner Act" meant to legislatively support President Trump's Executive Order granting Afrikaners refugee status in the USA. The act  says it will 'target residents of South Africa who are members of the Afrikaner ethnic minority that have suffered persecution or have fear of persecution on account of their race, ethnicity or ancestry". President Cyril Ramaphosa has vehemently denied the accusations and says he remains confident the relationship with the US can still be salvaged, and insists engagements with the Trump administration will continue. To discuss this I'm now joined on the line by Prof. Bheki Mngomezulu, Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy at Nelson Mandela University ...