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The Solidarity Movement today delivered a strong plea in a letter addressed to the US government not to remove South Africa from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and to reconsider its strategy to promote economic freedom and democracy in South Africa. In this letter which states all the reasons why South Africa should remain part of AGOA, Flip Buys, chairperson of the Movement, asks that South Africa still remain part of AGOA and that the Americans instead use the economic instruments available to them to support the private sector in South Africa while the US could certainly consider taking action against South African politicians who act contrary to the national interests, harming South Africa’s relations with, among others, the USA,
 
The Movement refers to the letter dated 9 June 2023 signed by Senator Christopher A. Coons, Senator James E. Risch and Representatives Gregory W. Meeks and Michael T. McCaul, requesting the Biden administration to move this year’s AGOA Forum meeting, which is supposed to be held in South Africa, to another African country. The letter also strongly criticises the South African government’s breach of its own position of nonalignment and neutrality about the war in Ukraine. Moreover, the Movement is concerned about Resolution 145 which was drafted by members of the US House of Representatives on 21 February this year, calling on the US to revisit its relationship with South Africa.
 
According to Buys, South Africa’s removal from the list of countries that benefit from AGOA will have dire consequences for ordinary South Africans and it could have a wider adverse impact on regional stability, economic development and political transformation in the Southern African Development Community (SADCC). “We seriously appeal to the US government not to punish South Africa economically, but to rather develop a policy to isolate certain political figures in South Africa and to institute punitive measures against these persons who, in an irresponsible way, are undermining South Africa’s non-aligned and neutral position.”
 
In the letter, the Solidarity Movement strongly condemns senior South African government officials who in the past have continuously made critical public statements towards the United States of America and have even spoken in favour of Russian aggression in Ukraine. “Along with this, we regret and distance ourselves from the South African government’s reluctance to condemn the war in Ukraine, enforce its position of non-alignment and neutrality with credibility, and act with greater sensitivity towards the foreign interests of the US when it pertains to dealing with complex global security issues.”
 
The Movement has decided to send a delegation to the USA in September to meet directly with American politicians in this regard. According to Buys, the delegation wants to make sure the US government distinguishes between political and economic sanctions. “Economic sanctions punish ordinary, innocent South Africans while political sanctions can help to bring about necessary political reforms in South Africa. Most South Africans are deeply aware of the enormous importance of trade relations with the USA and the benefits of AGOA for ordinary people in our country. Unfortunately, it is ideologically driven politicians against whom action must be taken.”

Issued by Solidarity