In a significant development that marks a further deterioration in relations between South Africa and the United States, Washington has announced the suspension of military assistance and cooperation with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
A memo that is, at this point, still clandestine reveals that on March 13, the US Department of State outlined the decision, which is in line with an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
The directive, addressed to Aaron Harding, the Chief Financial Officer of the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DCSA), instructs that all foreign aid and military assistance to South Africa be immediately halted.
This includes the suspension of key programmes such as International Military Education and Training (IMET), Foreign Military Financing (FMF), and Foreign Military Sales (FMS). The memo also specifies that any South African military personnel currently in the US for training or educational purposes should be sent home as soon as possible.
“Please ensure this guidance is widely disseminated to the Department of Defence programme managers and other stakeholders to ensure we are meeting this direction as soon as possible,” the letter reads. The memo further directs that all bilateral and multilateral peacekeeping operations (PKO) involving South Africa be paused, with no new cases or modifications to existing agreements permitted.
While the exact scope of South Africa’s military cooperation with the US is not clear, the letter makes reference to several areas of concern, including financial obligations for peacekeeping operations and the provision of military assistance.
The US government has yet to comment or provide further details on the memorandum. The South African National Defence Force, when approached for comment, stated that the letter was not addressed to their department and recommended that the media consult the US Embassy or Administration for more information.
This latest decision comes amid an increasingly strained relationship between Washington and Pretoria. Tensions have been rising since the Trump administration came into power, exacerbated by South Africa’s neutral stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Additionally, President Trump issued an executive order that slashed funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which affected South Africa’s annual AIDS response budget by about 17%.
The relationship has also been complicated by South Africa’s legal action against Israel, accusing the country of genocide at the International Court of Justice, a move that President Trump publicly opposed. South African ambassador to the US Ibrahim Rassol was also declared persona-non grata.
Pretoria has, however, cowered to US pressure with the ANC saying "they will ot be bullied by the US".