SA and the US are planning a bosberaad next Monday to iron out differences between the two countries and outline how they can form a stronger “strategic partnership”.
The US embassy in SA confirmed that the meeting was expected to be a “cornerstone” of future relations between SA and the US.
US embassy spokesperson Rubani Trimiew said his country welcomed the “positive” engagement from SA of late, which included a “working visit” to Washington by international relations & co-operation minister Ronald Lamola.
Business Day reported on Thursday that SA was seeking stronger diplomatic, bilateral and trade relations with the US, similar to those between SA and China, and had already taken steps in that direction.
It is understood that this may include a bilateral trade agreement, which would be more targeted than the unilateral preferential trade arrangement the US now offers under the umbrella of the African Growth & Opportunity Act (Agoa).
“We have already made the proposal to the US state department and Congress,” Lamola said in an interview with Business Day. “We have proposed an annual type of engagement instead of only engaging when there is a controversy.”
The department of international relations and the department of trade, industry & competition had left the US “with a positive outlook”, he said.
Trimiew said the US welcomed the positive remarks from Lamola and shared his optimistic outlook on the US-SA relationship. “We remain committed to deepening our co-operation and to advancing our shared interests with SA. We look forward to joint efforts to forge a more prosperous future for both our peoples.”
In his interview with Business Day, Lamola addressed what some analysts have termed irreconcilable differences between SA and the US after US ambassador Reuben Brigety accused SA of supplying Russia with weapons to fuel that country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Some senior Republicans in the US have tried to exclude SA from Agoa. Negotiations on renewal of Agoa are ongoing.
Regarding the Brigety incident, Lamola said: “It did a lot of damage, but we have acted in good faith and there are now consistent engagements with the US ambassador to SA. We want to continue to engage to strengthen bilateral relations.”
Trimiew said the October 21 meeting would be an important moment to turn the page. “The meeting is an essential part of our structured bilateral engagement with SA that provides an opportunity to review our co-operation in areas like health, development, education and the environment,” he said.
Lamola said the US had not raised any formal objection to SA’s push for justice for Palestinians after a year-long onslaught in Gaza by Israel in response to Hamas’ October 7 2023 attacks.
“It may be discussed, but the G20, which SA is hosting [in 2025], is not the platform to push that agenda. We are pushing African economic diplomacy in that meeting.
“The African agenda is centred on ... economic development, the African Continental Free Trade Area, climate change mitigation and reform of global finance organisations,” Lamola said. “All African countries should speak in one voice that there must be more funding for us to be able to respond to this unmitigated disaster.”
SA would use its permanent seat on the G20 to showcase Africa’s economic potential, he said. The country was lobbying for reform of the UN Security Council so Africa could have a louder voice on global conflicts.
Lamola said his approach would be aggressive only on economic diplomacy that was in the national interest.
“We will have to be engaging. We will be doing so in SA’s national interest. Economic diplomacy is the focal point.
“There is a big interest in future investments in SA and we are working hand in glove with the department of trade, industry & competition to try to achieve 2% economic growth in SA by 2025,” he said.
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