US officials introduce law to sanction South Africa

Officials in the United States Congress have introduced a bill to sanction senior South African government and ANC officials who support their “adversaries”.

US Congressman Ronny Jackson introduced the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025, which calls for a full review of the bilateral relationship between the US and South Africa.

Jackson’s office said the bill will help advance US President Trump’s foreign policy agenda by giving him the tools necessary to impose sanctions on South African officials who support America’s adversaries.

The adversaries include China, Russia and Iran.

“South Africa has brazenly abandoned its relationship with the United States to align with China, Russia, Iran, and terrorist organizations, a betrayal that demands serious consequences,” said Jackson.

“This legislation ensures we conduct a comprehensive review of this supposed ‘ally’ while also holding accountable any corrupt officials.”

Jackson is a firm supporter of Israel and serves as the Co-Chair of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus.

“The era of governments undermining American interests without repercussions ends now,” he said.

The bill has also received support from US Congressman John James.

“The South African government and the ANC have continued to consistently undermine US national security interests and in recent years have intentionally aligned with Beijing, Moscow and Tehran and pursued an anti-Israel agenda,” said James.

“The United States must examine all of our bilateral relationships around the world and investigate all options to hold those countries and leaders who align with our adversaries responsible.”

What the bill says

The bill states that no later than 120 days after enactment, the President, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a classified report including:

• A list of senior South African government officials and ANC leaders that US the President determines have engaged in corruption or human rights abuses.
• The report will also include a detailed explanation describing the conduct forming the basis of the person’s inclusion on the list, and the expected timeline for sanctions.

The bill states that the South African government’s foreign policy actions have long ceased to reflect its stated stances of nonalignment, with it favouring Hamas, the Russian Federation and China.

It identifies eight key problem areas with the ANC and South Africa:

1. The ANC’s policies are inconsistent with South Africa’s stated policy of non-alignment in international affairs.
2. The South African Government has a history of siding with malign actors, including Hamas, a United States-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and a proxy of the Iranian regime, and continues to pursue closer ties with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Russian Federation.
3. The South African Government’s continued support of Hamas.
4. Members of the South African government delivering “antisemitic and antiIsrael” statements and actions following the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
5. The South African Government and the ANC maintain close relations with the Russian Federation, which has been accused of perpetrating war crimes in Ukraine and indiscriminately undermining human rights.
6. The South African Government’s interactions with the PRC Government and ANC interactions with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), who are committing gross violations of human rights in the Xinjiang province and implementing economically coercive tactics around the globe.
7. The ANC-led South African Government’s history of substantially mismanaging a range of state resources and often being “proven incapable of effectively delivering public services, threatening the South African people and the South African economy”.
8. The most recent comments by former ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, describing President Trump as ‘‘extreme,’’ and characterising him as a white supremacist.

The full text of the Bill can be found below: