A Russian naval ship made a port call in Cape Town on August 29, after stops in Cuba and Venezuela. This is the latest indication that South Africa’s new Government of National Unity (GNU) will continue its predecessors’ embrace of U.S. adversaries and terrorist organizations.
When the GNU took power after elections on May 29, Pretoria had a once-in-a-generation opportunity to turn the page on its growing ties with China, Russia, and Iran, along with political support for Hamas. The participation of opposition parties in the GNU could have provided a counterbalance to the anti-Western path of the African National Congress, which has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid.
Indeed, a member of parliament from the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party prior to joining the GNU, condemned the port call by the Russian ship for exposing the “contradiction of President [Cyril] Ramaphosa’s utterances of non-alignment in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.” Yet despite the DA’s presence in the GNU, the ANC continues to dominate the rainbow nation’s defense and security policy. This underscores the urgency of ongoing efforts in Congress to force a re-evaluation of the U.S. relationship with South Africa and its impact on U.S. national security interests.
Under the ANC government that preceded the GNU, South Africa provided a platform for Russia to showcase its military overseas. Notably, South Africa’s military held joint naval drills with Russia and China on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety has also accused Pretoria of supplying Russia with weapons via delivery to a cargo ship that docked near Cape Town in December 2022. In addition, nuclear-capable Tupolev Tu-160 “Blackjack” bombers will reportedly fly to South Africa later this month to participate in the Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition despite the continuing bombardment of Ukrainian civilians by Russian warplanes.
Beyond its embrace of Russia, the ANC remains one of Hamas and Iran’s most important supporters on the world stage, to the detriment of not only Israel but the world. For example, in April, law enforcement authorities seized a Hamas-linked weapons cache in the heart of Europe, foiling a terrorist attack on the continent. Under the GNU, the ANC maintains control of the Departments of Justice and International Relations and Cooperation, both of which continue to undertake significant legal and diplomatic actions against the Jewish state.
South Africa’s baseless case against Israel at the International Court of Justice continues to amplify the lie that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza to distract from Hamas’s reign of terror against Israel and the Palestinian people. And the new GNU foreign minister, ANC MP Ronald Lamola, made one of his first overseas trips to Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran’s new president. This follows repeated engagements with the Islamic Republic by his predecessor, Naledi Pandor, in the weeks and months following Hamas’s brutal October 7 massacre.
At the provincial level, the ANC recently stood by religious leaders who have proclaimed their unabashed support for Hamas. Just hours after Israel Defense Forces located the bodies of six hostages executed by Hamas in Gaza on September 1, the president of the Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa (MJC), Shaykh Riad Fataar, told an audience in Cape Town, “I am Hamas! …Viva Hamas, viva!” MJC is connected to a network of pro-Hamas organizations. After the Jewish community condemned Shaykh Fataar’s comments, the ANC’s spokesperson in the Western Cape said the ANC stood in solidarity with the Shaykh and pointed out that “Hamas is recognized by the Government of South Africa [as] a legitimate political formation.”
For members of Congress who have raised concerns about the U.S.-South Africa relationship, these events likely provide little reassurance. South Africa could find itself facing a congressionally mandated review of its bilateral relationship with America in 2025 if legislation approved by the U.S. House is included in the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act. This could raise questions about South Africa’s continued ability to benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act and U.S. development assistance and force closer scrutiny of the ANC’s endemic corruption.
If South Africa continues this path, that review would not only be warranted but also long overdue. Pretoria’s support for U.S. adversaries and terrorist groups has evaded scrutiny for far too long.
Connor Pfeiffer is director of congressional relations at FDD Action. David May is a research manager and senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Follow Connor and David on X @ConnorPfeiffer and @DavidSamuelMay.