🇺🇸❌🇿🇦 BREAKING: The U.S. has expelled South Africa’s military attaché, Brig. Gen. Richard Maponyane.

This comes only two weeks after the United States ousted South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool.

Tensions rise as sanctions on ANC leaders loom, signaling a major diplomatic rift between Washington and Pretoria.

🇺🇸🇿🇦 ‘Mission South Africa’: How Trump Is Offering White Afrikaners Refugee Status

The Trump administration has thrown open the doors to white Afrikaners from South Africa, establishing a program called “Mission South Africa” to help them come to the United States as refugees, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

Under Phase One of the program, the United States has deployed multiple teams to convert commercial office space in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, into ad hoc refugee centers, according to the documents. The teams are studying more than 8,200 requests expressing interest in resettling to the United States and have already identified 100 Afrikaners who could be approved for refugee status. The government officials have been directed to focus particularly on screening white Afrikaner farmers.

By mid-April, U.S. officials on the ground in South Africa will “propose long-term solutions, to ensure the successful implementation of the president’s vision for the dignified resettlement of eligible Afrikaner applicants,” according to one memo sent from the embassy in Pretoria to the State Department in Washington this month.

The administration’s focus on white Afrikaners comes as it effectively bans the entry of other refugees — including about 20,000 people from countries like Afghanistan, Congo and Syria who were ready to travel to the United States before Mr. Trump took office.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/30/us/politics/trump-south-africa-white-afrikaners-refugee.html

https://archive.is/wJoj2

🇿🇦🇺🇸 South Africa seeks US talks as carmakers face 25% tariff hit

SA vehicles currently enjoy duty-free access to the world’s biggest economy because of a preferential trade pact, but the new taxes will override that, which could have a ‘potential negative effect on the South African economy,’ the DTIC said.

https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/south-africa-seeks-us-talks-as-carmakers-face-25-tariff-hit/

🇺🇸🇿🇦 President Trump announces a 30% reciprocal tariff on South Africa

"A lot of bad things are happening in South Africa."

🇺🇸🇿🇦 America's 30% tariff explained

Yesterday, the United States government announced the imposition of a 30% tariff on South African goods. While many see this new policy as a continuation of tensions between the two countries, including cutting aid and several diplomatic confrontations, these tariffs form part of a broader reciprocal tariff policy aimed at addressing trade imbalances, and are independent from the bipartisan tensions which have emerged in recent months.

South Africa has $13–15 billion in 2024 U.S. exports, 7.5% of our total. Agriculture (citrus, nuts, wines), car manufacturing ($2 billion), and mining (platinum $3.42 billion, gold) stand to be badly affected.

🍎 South Africa’s agricultural sector, previously benefiting from AGOA’s tariff-free access, may lose over 30,000 jobs due to reduced competitiveness, with citrus exports (9% of total) hit hard.

🚘 Autos face a dual burden: the 30% reciprocal tariff plus a 25% Section 232 tariff on vehicles and parts, comprising 64% of AGOA exports and 0.99% of U.S. auto imports, potentially doubling costs. South Africa currently performs a large amount of vehicle assembly, predominantly Gauteng (BMW, Nissan, Ford, Iveco, BAW, MAN) KwaZulu Natal (Toyota, Mahindra, Volvo) and the Eastern Cape (VW, Isuzu, Mercedes Daimler, Mitsubishi).

⛏️Mining, over half of exports, may see revenue drops despite some inelastic U.S. demand. As a key employer, this sector could impact employment significantly.

https://www.capeindependent.com/article/americas-30-tariff-explained

🇺🇸🇿🇦 Bill Introduced to Give Afrikaners Priority-2 Refugee Status

U.S. Congressman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22) introduced the Asylum for Farmers and Refugees in Crisis and Necessary Emigration Resettlement (AFRIKANER) Act, which would give Priority-2 refugee status to residents of South Africa who are members of the Afrikaner ethnic minority group that have suffered persecution, or have a well-founded fear of persecution, on account of their race, ethnicity, or ancestry. The AFRIKANER Act would also give Priority-2 refugee status to the spouses, children, and parents of these individuals so long as they are residents of South Africa.

https://nehls.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-troy-e-nehls-introduces-bill-give-afrikaner-population-priority-2-refugee

https://nehls.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/nehls.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/afrikaner-act-text.pdf

🇺🇸🇿🇦 Bill Introduced to Prepare for Sanctions Against South African Government Officials

Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13) introduced the U.S.-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025, which would mandate a full review of the bilateral relationship between the United States and South Africa and help advance President Trump’s foreign policy agenda by giving him the tools necessary to impose sanctions on corrupt South African government officials who choose to support America’s adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran. Representative John James (MI-10) is co-leading this legislation.

"South Africa has brazenly abandoned its relationship with the United States to align with China, Russia, Iran, and terrorist organizations, a betrayal that demands serious consequences," said Rep. Ronny Jackson. "This legislation ensures we conduct a comprehensive review of this supposed 'ally' while also holding accountable any corrupt officials. The era of governments undermining American interests without repercussions ends now."

“I am proud to co-lead the updated U.S.-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025 with Congressman Ronny Jackson,” said Rep. John James. “This bill builds on and strengthens my bipartisan legislation from last Congress – H.R.7256 – which successfully passed the House and supports President Trump’s Executive Order from February 7th Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa. The South African government and the ANC have continued to consistently undermine U.S. national security interests and in recent years have intentionally aligned with Beijing, Moscow and Tehran and pursued an anti-Israel agenda. The United States must examine all of our bilateral relationships around the world and investigate all options to hold those countries and leaders who align with our adversaries responsible.”

https://jackson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2304

https://jackson.house.gov/uploadedfiles/jacktx_035_xml.pdf

📉 Bloodbath on South African stock market this morning

🔴 Johannesburg Stock Exchange down 5% within 30 minutes of opening

🔴 South African rand trading at 19.43 to the US Dollar

🇿🇦🔫 New South African Law Proposed to Kill Private Security Industry

South African Police Minister Senzo Mchunu unveiled draft amendments to the Private Security Industry Regulation Act that could cripple South Africa’s private security sector:

- Handcuffs will be regulated and only be given to trained security guards after approval by the regulator.

- The security industry will no longer be allowed to use tasers, teargas, water cannons, sponge grenades, rubber bullets, or any other weapon that "may harm civilians."

- Permission to use these will require an application to the regulator submitted 7 days beforehand. When a riot breaks out today, a security company will be unable to perform crowd control.

- The security industry will be prohibited from using firearms at taxi ranks, cemeteries, stadiums, shopping malls, churches, restaurants, hospitals, schools, and more.

- Security officers will have to undergo annual physical and mental assessments.

- Semi-automatic firearms can only be used in the transportation of valuables and the protection of critical infrastructure.

- All firearms must have tracking devices attached to them

📎 Ian Cameron

🇿🇼💰 Zimbabwe Issues Dollar Bonds to Pay Ex-Farmers for Land Grabs

Zimbabwe issued treasury bonds worth $308 million and made small cash payments to White farmers who were dispossessed of their property 25 years ago under a state-backed land reform program.

The payments are the first under a so-called “Global Compensation Deed” signed in 2020 between the state and the former farm owners in which Zimbabwe committed to paying $3.5 billion for improvements done on the farmland.

A Land Compensation Committee has approved compensation for 740 former farm owners, with the first 378 farmers paid 1% of the total compensation value of $311 million in late March as well as receiving Treasury bonds, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said.

The payment is the latest attempt to resolve the decades-long dispute triggered by former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe encouraging veterans of the liberation war to evict farmers and their workers from their land in a bid to win support in a close-fought election in 2000. By 2002 at least seven White farmers had been killed alongside dozens of their workers, Human Rights Watch said.

That contributed to sanctions being imposed on Zimbabwean politicians by the US, UK and the European Union leading to the southern African nation’s protracted fallout with the West.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-09/zimbabwe-issues-dollar-bonds-to-pay-ex-farmers-for-land-grabs

🇿🇦📉 South African Rand Hits Record Low

The rand briefly hit R19.93 against the dollar at 5pm on Wednesday, passing the previous record low of R19.9075 it reached in June 2023

🇺🇸🇿🇦 South Africa has been granted a 90-day reprieve from the elevated reciprocal tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, as confirmed by Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau.

Initially, South Africa faced a 31% tariff that took effect on Wednesday, but Trump later that day announced a pause for nations that had opened negotiations with his administration, refraining from applying retaliatory tariffs.

Despite this, South Africa remains subject to Trump's universal 10% import tariff. This includes trade previously exempt from tariffs under the AGOA agreement, which is now also liable for the 10% rate.

🇿🇦🇨🇳South Africa signs agreement with China for nuclear cooperation

The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) is looking to China for cooperation as it works to realise its ambition to once again be involved in production for the nuclear fuel cycle – and to provide an entry point into the African market for small modular reactors (SMRs).

It signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), a Chinese state nuclear company, on Tuesday (8 April) during a ministerial visit to the country.

This will not go unnoticed by the US Trump administration, which is eyeing the South African nuclear market as an entry point to Africa, according to Professor Theo Venter, political analyst at the North-West University.

https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/necsa-inks-mou-with-china-for-nuclear-cooperation/