According to a dispatch obtained by the Guardian, the state department has issued an immediate directive to suspend the majority of US foreign assistance to South Africa. This action is the official implementation of a contentious executive order issued by Donald Trump.
On Thursday, the directive was issued to enforce Executive Order 14204, which was designed to address South Africa’s “egregious actions.” The order directs all state department entities to promptly suspend aid disbursements, with minimal exceptions.
Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, signed the cable that states, “In order to effectively implement EO 14204, all bureaus, offices, and missions shall suspend all obligations and/or dispersion of aid or assistance to South Africa.”
In the midst of a broader reevaluation of US foreign aid, the cable followed the 7 February order, which halted specific foreign assistance pending review.
White Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch colonizers who implemented the segregationist regime that denied fundamental rights to the Black majority until 1994, are specifically cited in the order as experiencing “unjust racial discrimination.”
It is widely believed that the administration’s stance toward a country in which white South Africans, who constitute only 7% of the population, continue to disproportionately control the majority of wealth and land, is influenced by the South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, who serves as the head of the government efficiency team and has criticised his homeland for its “openly racist policies.”
The cable indicates that Rubio has granted Pete Marocco, a Trump loyalist who oversaw the administration’s evisceration of foreign aid programs at USAid and the state department, the authority to determine whether specific aid programs should be prolonged. There is “a very high bar” for such requests, as the guidance emphasizes.
The cable specifies that only Pepfar, the US global HIV/AIDS program that offers life-saving treatment to millions of South Africans, will proceed without further review. Special permission is required for all other assistance programs, including those that were previously exempted under the January foreign aid suspension.
The most recent indication of the escalating tensions between the two generally friendly nations is the accusation by President Trump that South Africa is discriminating against white citizens through its new land law. The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, dismissed these allegations as misinformation.
In certain circumstances, the bill in issue allows the government to acquire private land without compensation, a controversial provision. However, its supporters maintain that such seizures would be uncommon and subject to judicial review.
In addition to criticizing South Africa’s leadership in its genocide case against Israel at the international court of justice, Trump has also granted refugee status to affluent white Afrikaners who wished to migrate to the United States, thereby further incensing the country.
In addition, the aid moratorium coincides with South Africa’s recent declaration that it is formulating a new trade proposal for the Trump administration. This move is being made in anticipation of the potential termination of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which has permitted billions in duty-free exports to the United States.
Earlier on Thursday, South Africa released a statement that recognized the United States’ withdrawal from the Just Energy Transition Partnership (Jetp). This decision was made in response to Trump’s revocation of international climate finance initiatives, which resulted in the cancellation of previously funded climate projects.
The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.
