posted 8th February 2025
South Africa's Sovereignty Over Foreign Aid: A Defiant Stand - Senator Shehu Sani
In response to former U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order suspending foreign aid to South Africa, former Nigerian Senator Shehu Sani has called for South Africans to stand firm. His statement, "South Africans should stand firm in defence of their sovereignty and laws and in defiance of the so-called suspension of aid," resonates amid rising global debates over national autonomy and foreign influence.
The executive order cites South Africa's Expropriation Act 13 of 2024, which allows the government to seize agricultural property from ethnic minority Afrikaners without compensation. The U.S. administration claims this act violates human rights and undermines U.S. foreign policy interests, citing South Africa's positions on international issues, including its accusations against Israel at the International Court of Justice and its renewed ties with Iran.
Senator Sani’s remarks challenge the notion that foreign aid should be used as a political tool. He asserts, "If that is what foreign aid is all about, stopping it is in the best interest of Africa." This sentiment underscores a broader critique of foreign aid's potential to compromise the sovereignty of recipient nations.
South Africa, with its legacy of overcoming apartheid and striving for equality, embodies resilience. The land, resources, and dignity of its people are invaluable, far outweighing conditional financial support. The suspension of aid, rather than a setback, could serve as a catalyst for self-reliance, encouraging South Africa and other African nations to strengthen their economies and reduce dependency on foreign assistance.
Moreover, this development sparks a necessary dialogue about international relations. True partnerships should be based on mutual respect, not conditional generosity. South Africa's response to this challenge could set a powerful precedent for nations facing similar pressures.
The ban also offers an opportunity for South Africa to assert its sovereignty. As Senator Sani's words remind us, the true strength of a nation lies not in the aid it receives but in the spirit of its people and their unwavering commitment to self-determination.
THE EXECUTIVE ORDER:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Purpose. In shocking disregard of its citizens’ rights, the Republic of South Africa (South Africa) recently enacted Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 (Act), to enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation. This Act follows countless government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business, and hateful rhetoric and government actions fuelling disproportionate violence against racially disfavoured landowners.
In addition, South Africa has taken aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements.
The United States cannot support the government of South Africa’s commission of rights violations in its country or its ‘undermining United States foreign policy, which poses national security threats to our Nation, our allies, our African partners, and our interests.
Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States that, as long as South Africa continues these unjust and immoral practices that harm our Nation:
(a) the United States shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa; and
(b) the United States shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation.
Sec. 3. Assistance. (a) All executive departments and agencies (agencies), including the United States Agency for International Development, shall, to the maximum extent allowed by law, halt foreign aid or assistance delivered or provided to South Africa, and shall promptly exercise all available authorities and discretion to halt such aid or assistance.
(b) The head of each agency may permit the provision of any such foreign aid or assistance that, in the discretion of the relevant agency head, is necessary or appropriate.
Sec. 4. Refugee Resettlement and Other Humanitarian Considerations. The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take appropriate steps, consistent with law, to prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination. Such plan shall be submitted to the President through the Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor.
Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
