By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says he has written to US Ambassador Reuben Brigety to request a meeting amid the diplomatic spat between the two countries
Last week Brigety said the United States believed weapons and ammunition had been laden onto a Russian freighter that docked at a Cape Town naval base in December.
Among the concerns raised was South Africa’s participation in a military exercise with Russia and China, which happened on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Brigety said.
He also stated that Agoa was up for renewal in 2025 but refused to speculate on what was likely to transpire when that time came.
Responding to questions from the media, Brigety said the US will be “watching very closely” developments during the upcoming Brics summit in September in South Africa.
The 15th BRICS summit is set to take place in South Africa’s Durban in late August this year.
“I will reassure Brigety that many political parties and civil society groupings are working hard to offer South Africa an alternative government in 2024, that respects human rights and national sovereignty and wants strong trade relations with all the nations of the free world,” Steenhuisen said on Tuesday.
Steenhuisen says he visited Washington DC two weeks ago to launch a campaign to protect AGOA.
The Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) is a US legislation giving preferential access to the US market for African states.
“There is no upside and enormous downside for South Africa to side with Russia over the West,” the DA leader said.
“The ANC’s alignment with Russia will do severe economic and social damage to South Africa, directly risking billions of rands of trade with the West and hundreds of thousands of jobs.
“And it’s not just AGOA. ANC alignment with Russia threatens our wine and citrus exports to the EU. The newly negotiated trade agreement with the EU gives SA improved access to the EU market for exporting our wine.”
Steenhuisen believes any possible sanctions should be against individual ANC leaders and not against South Africa as a country.