South Africa’s strained relationship with the United States has suffered another blow.
The world’s biggest economy is reportedly cutting military ties with South Africa and expelling its military attaché.
According to the Sunday Times, the US has cut military assistance and cooperation with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
The paper cited a memo dated March 13 from the US State Department to Aaron Harding, the CFO of America’s Defense Security Co-operation Agency (DCSA).
It states that, per the executive order signed by US President Donald Trump, all foreign aid and assistance offered to South Africa will be suspended.
It also states that any South African military personnel in the US for training should be sent back to South Africa as soon as possible.
This letter also supersedes the recent exception approved for foreign military financing students, globally.
The State Department requested that the guidance be disseminated across the Department of Defence and programme managers to ensure that the direction is met ASAP.
Former DA shadow Minister of Defence Kobus Marais said that while South Africa does not rely on the US for its defence capabilities, any drastic change will negatively impact its capabilities.
He said the country’s relationship with Boeing, Lockheed Martin and the training of military staff will be negatively affected.
In a further blow, Afrikaans publication Rapport reports that the US has given South Africa’s military attaché Brigadier Gen. Richard Maponyane the boot.
Maponyane and his assistants have reportedly been told they are no longer welcome in the United States, with the threat of targetted sanctions against specific individuals in South Africa now looming.
South Africa’s US Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was also recently kicked out of the country after he made comments against US President Donald Trump, accusing him of leading a global white supremacy movement.
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