Government documents on the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) suggest our political leaders are turning the issue into a full-on rant about Western hostility to SA. Agoa expires next year, unless the US Congress chooses to extend it. It is essentially a form of development aid that gives preferential access to the US market to more than 30 African countries including SA., which was always an outlier because it is a middle-income country not a poor one.
The US was persuaded to include us; our automotive, fruit and chemicals exports have been big beneficiaries. But SA and its supporters in Congress had to fight hard to be included when the legislation was extended in 2015. The fight will clearly be harder this time — and SA has not helped its cause with its stance on Russia’s war on Ukraine. SA’s claims of nonalignment have not been matched by its deeds and its perceived cosiness with Russia alienated even those in the US Congress who support its cause.
It’s no good blaming the US for supposedly pressuring SA to take a stand on Russia: we have taken one already and it is not one that will endear us to the US, or any of the Western powers. The US wants to build influence in Africa to counter Russia’s. Chances are it will extend Agoa. If SA doesn’t get the nod for full benefits we will have no-one to blame but ourselves.
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