Lobby group AfriForum says it has only campaigned for targeted sanctions against “corrupt” leaders of the African National Congress in the South African government, adding that punishment against those high-ranking officials will not affect the economy.
reported on Wednesday that a bill which seeks to re-evaluate the bilateral relationship between the United States and South Africa, and identify government leaders who should be subject to sanctions, was passed by a US House Committee on Foreign Affairs this week.
The US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025 was introduced in April by Ronny Jackson, a congressman from Texas. The bill, to become a law, will need to be approved by the House and Senate before being signed by President Donald Trump.
The controversial bill accuses South Africa of undermining the United States’ interests by maintaining close relationships with the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation, nations that are Pretoria’s strong allies and key trading partners.
Ernst van Zyl, head of public relations at AfriForum, said the ANC’s years of reckless and extremist diplomatic actions and rhetoric are now bearing bitter fruit.
“From AfriForum’s side, I do not see why punishing corrupt politicians is going to destroy a country’s economy. That is going to be left to the ANC to explain how those politicians who are pushing destructive laws, when they are punished for the human rights abuses or corruption. How is that going to destroy the South African economy or going to affect negatively the average man on the street?” Van Zyl spoke to television news broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
“I can’t really see the connection there. That is for the ANC to explain. Secondly, when your country is provoking another country, and that country retaliates as the United States is doing now with this bill, then the blame lies with those who did the provoking. At the same time, with those who refused to find a solution to the problems.”
He added that AfriForum wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa “on many occasions in the past” seeking to find a domestic solution to problems in South Africa.
“The old saying goes, what you sow you shall reap, well, the ANC has been sowing a lot of corruption, a lot of human rights abuses and now it is the reaping time and that is what we are seeing unfold here,” said Van Zyl.
He said if South Africa is ultimately sanctioned, AfriForum must not be blamed, because the lobby group was only clamouring for targeted sanctions against ANC officials.
“If as a whole South Africa is punished or sanctioned by the United States, I do not see why AfriForum should be blamed or made the scapegoat for that. The main blame should be for the South African government for their antics, extremist rhetoric and the laws that they are pushing that caused reaction and retaliation from the United States in the first place.
“AfriForum can only take responsibility for that which we advocate.
According to a report by earlier this year, the bill mandates a comprehensive review to identify South African government officials and leaders of the African National Congress who may be subject to sanctions for their alleged support of American adversaries such as China, Russia, and Iran.
Commenting on X about the committee’s approval of the bill, Jackson said: “South Africa made its choice when they abandoned America and our allies and sided with communists and terrorists. Today, my bill to fully review America’s relationship with South Africa and give President Trump the tools necessary to hold their corrupt government accountable passed through committee. The days of allowing our so-called ‘allies’ to walk all over us are over!”
The bill will now be debated and amended in the House of Representatives before a vote is held on it. The House of Representatives will then submit the approved bill to the Senate for final consideration.
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