Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. JAMES. Mr. Chair, this amendment revises section 1725 of the base text to strengthen the current reporting language regarding South Africa by including my legislation, H.R. 7256, the U.S.-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act, that passed a House Foreign Affairs Committee markup with strong bipartisan support back in March.

This legislation would simply require the Biden administration to make a determination on whether South Africa's actions are undermining the United States' national security or foreign policy interests and conduct a full review of the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and South Africa.

The only way that this would be threatening is if the ANC is actually undermining the United States and our partnership with the South African people. It is important to show the South African people that the United States is aware of its plight, and it is important to show the American people that we will no longer be played for fools.

Mr. Chair, on March 20, 2024, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee reminded us that a year and a half ago, the Biden administration put out a U.S. strategy toward sub-Saharan Africa. How is that going? In the last year and a half, in Sudan, there have been 10 million displaced, 15,000 fatalities, and 5 million on the brink of starvation.

The world's largest humanitarian crisis rages while external actors fuel the fight without repercussion.

In the last year and a half, across the Sahel, the epidemic of coups has resulted in severe democratic retreating with the forced withdrawal of U.S. military personnel from Niger being the latest example.

In the last year and a half, in Central Africa, the conflict in eastern DRC threatens to escalate and destabilize the entire region.

In the last year and a half, in Ethiopia, 15,000 to 30,000 have already died; 8 million have fled their homes; and 25 million people, including 14 million children, are in desperate need of food, water, and medicine.

Mr. Chair, in the past year and a half, the situation on the Continent of Africa has gotten even more bleak. Are we so naive to believe that the same U.S. strategy that got it so wrong throughout the rest of sub-Saharan Africa somehow got it right in South Africa?

As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, I am acutely aware of South Africa's important role on the African Continent, and I am proud that the United States has held cordial relationships with South Africa for nearly my entire life--over $8 billion in the very important PEPFAR assistance program since 2003, and growth in trade from $13.9 billion to $21 billion in 2021.

In fact, South Africa has been the United States' largest trading partner in Africa since 2014 and is home to over 600 American businesses. However, it is clear to me that the ANC of today is no longer the party of Mandela.

The ANC continuously moves away from its traditional stance of nonalignment in international affairs and has displayed consistent and overt anti-Israel sentiment in the wake of the devastating October 7 attacks against our number one ally in the Middle East.

These include then-South Africa Foreign Minister Pandor accepting a call from the Hamas leader on October 17 and visiting Tehran to meet with former President Raisi on October 22, South Africa filing a politically motivated and unfounded case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and then-Foreign Minister Pandor stating back in March of this year that South Africa will arrest Israeli South Africans who are fighting in the Israeli Defense Forces upon their return and could even strip them of their citizenship.

In addition to this overt anti-Israel sentiment, the ANC has increased its alignment with the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, as well.

In February 2023, on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the ANC hosted joint military exercises with Russia and China off the coast of South Africa. Excuse me? I am a military veteran. These drills and exercises are practicing killing American sailors and soldiers. Additionally, the ANC hosted the BRICS Conference in Johannesburg in August 2023.

I am also concerned about recent allegations of illicit financing flowing to the ANC from Russia and other malign actors.

In December, the ANC allegedly accepted 10 million rand from a Kremlin-backed holding company called the Chancellor House Trust. Prior to this donation, the ANC was all but bankrupt, and law enforcement had begun to seize assets at the ANC campaign headquarters in Johannesburg. Similar allegations exist relating to Iran. I am concerned that Russia and Iran are seeking to buy official influence in South Africa.

It is the fundamental right of every sovereign nation to chart its own direction, hear me clearly, but actions have consequences and repercussions. American people have choices, too.

I believe in the potential of a U.S.-South Africa relationship, but it is only fair if South Africa desires to remain a close partner to the U.S. and meets us halfway.

The current uncertainty in South Africa following last month's elections makes the determinations required by this amendment all the more timely. In order to strategically engage with South Africa, it is necessary to ensure the United States Government has a contemporary review of the bilateral relationship.

That is what this amendment does. It requires a certification and review that will ensure that the entirety of the U.S. Government is aligned to the realities of the current U.S.-South Africa bilateral relationship.

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