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Trump accused them of racism, the US immediately suspends aid to South Africa
2025-03-06 22:13:05 / BOTA
The directive, issued Thursday, implements Executive Order 14204, which targets what the administration called “outrageous actions” by South Africa. It orders all State Department entities to immediately suspend aid disbursements, with minimal exceptions.
"To effectively implement EO 14204, all offices, officials, and missions will suspend all obligations and/or distribution of assistance to South Africa ," the cable, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said.
The cable follows a February 7 order, amid a broader reassessment of U.S. foreign aid, which halted some foreign aid pending review.
The order specifically cites "unjust racial discrimination" against white Afrikaners - descendants of Dutch colonizers who implemented a segregationist regime that denied basic rights to the black majority until 1994.
South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump super-ally who heads the administration's government efficiency team and has condemned his homeland for "blatantly racist policies," is widely seen as influencing the administration's stance on a country where white South Africans, just 7% of the population, still disproportionately control most of the land.
According to the cable, Rubio has delegated authority to Pete Marocco, a Trump loyalist who led the administration's dismantling of foreign aid programs at USAID and the State Department, to determine whether specific aid programs should continue.
Only Pepfar, the U.S. global HIV/AIDS program that provides life-saving treatment to millions of South Africans, will continue without additional review, according to the cable. All other aid programs require special permission, even those that had received previous exemptions under the foreign aid pause in January.
It is the latest sign of escalating tensions between the two generally friendly nations, which began when President Trump accused South Africa of using its new land law to discriminate against white citizens, claims that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed as disinformation.
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