By Staff Writer

A rare and growing bipartisan coalition in the US Congress is coalescing around legislation that would impose targeted sanctions on senior officials of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), citing allegations of support for Hamas, systemic corruption, and alignment with adversarial regimes such as Iran, China, and Russia.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a clear message this week by advancing H.R. 2633 — the US–South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025, a bill authored by Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), with a decisive 34–16 vote. While all 28 Republicans on the committee backed the bill, they were unusually joined by six Democratic members, underscoring a clear bipartisan shift in Washington’s posture toward Pretoria.

A fracturing relationship

Long seen as an important US strategic partner in Africa, the ANC’s hostile intent and actions towards the US and her allies have alarmed lawmakers. The ANC government’s open relations with sanctioned Russian entities, military exercises with China, and clandestine partnership with Iranian defence officials have fuelled scepticism in Congress.

Of particular concern is President Cyril Ramaphosa’s international lawfare campaign against Israel following the 07 October 2023 Hamas attacks, and reports of covert financial and military support for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hamas.

“This is not a symbolic rebuke,” Rep. Jackson said in a statement. “This is a clear signal that the ANC’s support for terrorists and alignment with America’s enemies will have consequences. The people of South Africa deserve better leadership, and the US must stand on the side of democracy and security.”

Bipartisan support grows

The six Democrats who crossed party lines to vote in favour of Jackson’s bill include Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Julie Johnson (D-TX). While none have endorsed sanctions outright, their support for the legislation indicates a willingness to reassess the bilateral relationship and open the door to punitive measures.

Rep. Brad Sherman, a senior Democrat and longtime committee member, remarked: “The ANC can’t have it both ways — embracing pariah states and expecting normalised relations with the US. We need clarity and accountability.”

A similar effort is under way in the Senate, where Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) are reportedly discussing a companion bill aimed at reviewing US aid and defence cooperation with South Africa.

What the bill would do

The legislation mandates a full review of all US assistance to South Africa and would require the Secretary of State to report to Congress on:

• The ANC’s relationships with Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea
• Any South African entities or individuals materially supporting Hamas
• The extent of ANC involvement in domestic corruption or human rights abuses
• Whether senior ANC officials meet criteria for US sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act

South African government response

Pretoria has denounced the bill as “neocolonial interference,” with South Africa’s foreign ministry warning of “grave diplomatic consequences.” However, the ANC’s defenders on Capitol Hill have dwindled. Congressional Black Caucus members who historically supported the ANC have been notably cautious, with some refraining from public comment in recent weeks.

Segments of the South African private sector that depend on ANC patronage are seeking to retain lobbyists in Washington, DC to head off the bill. MTN Dubai, the South African shareholder in MTN-Irancell — the Iranian Ministry of Defence’s digital company supported by the ANC — recently retained the Vogel Group, a well-known lobbying firm, with the assistance of its longstanding Washington-based consultant, Philip van Niekerk.

What comes next

If passed by the full House, the bill would set the stage for the Biden administration to reassess a relationship that has been steadily deteriorating. While the White House has yet to take a public position, National Security Council officials are said to be monitoring the legislation closely.

Diplomatic observers note that bipartisan efforts of this nature are rare in a divided Congress. As global alignments harden, the growing willingness among Democrats to hold the ANC accountable reflects changing attitudes toward countries once viewed through the lens of liberation solidarity rather than geopolitical realism.

“It’s not 1994 anymore,” said one congressional aide. “The ANC needs to be treated like any other ruling party that embraces corruption, ignores human rights, and supports terrorism.”

Another congressional aide said: “The party of Mandela is dead. The ANC has become a dangerous narco-terrorist group. A senior South African police officer recently revealed that the ANC is infiltrated at the highest levels by drug syndicates and that its ministers are operating death squads to kill whistleblowers who expose corruption and political opponents.

There are five separate court cases — four in the US under the Anti-Terrorism Act and one in South Africa in the Supreme Court — that expose two decades of secret collusion with global terrorists like the IRGC, Hizbullah, and Hamas.”