By Johnathan Paoli
The release of the United States’ Human Rights Report has triggered contrasting political reactions in South Africa, exposing deep divisions over the country’s human rights record, foreign policy stance and relations with Washington.
The findings have been welcomed by some opposition parties, condemned outrightly by others, and formally rejected by the South African government.
It comes on the back of escalating tensions between the two countries. The government has said that the global report by US State Department is an inaccurate and deeply flawed account that fails to reflect the reality of the country’s constitutional democracy.
Democratic Alliance spokesperson on international relations Ryan Smith stressed the urgency of repairing the strained relationship.
“The fact that such discord between the United States of America and South Africa is playing out so publicly further underpins the need for the urgent appointment of a competent ambassador in Washington D.C. to begin the process of repairing diplomatic channels and rebuilding the relationship,” Smith told Inside Politics on Wednesday.
“It is well documented that South Africa faces severe challenges relating to crime, safety, and security, but the data has repeatedly proven that crime does not disproportionately affect one grouping in our society.
“We agree that more must be done to tackle this issue as one of the major threats to South African society and economic growth.”
In a blistering statement, Economic Freedom Fighters spokesperson Sinawo Thambo rejected the report as “imperialist propaganda” aimed at punishing South Africa for asserting its sovereignty and aligning with causes such as Palestinian solidarity.
Thambo accused Washington of selectively amplifying incidents, including police killings of suspects, to depict South Africa as “unfit to govern itself”.
He criticised the report’s reference to revolutionary songs at EFF rallies and its warnings about land expropriation, framing these as attacks on the Black majority’s struggle for land justice.
“This is part of a longstanding imperialist playbook,” Thambo said, likening it to US interventions in Iraq and Libya.
He charged that South Africa was being targeted for standing up to “apartheid Israel” at the International Court of Justice and for cultivating ties with nations such as Russia and China.
By contrast, the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) hailed the report as a vital acknowledgment of “worsening” conditions for Afrikaners and other minorities.
Party leader Corné Mulder said it underscored Washington’s unwillingness to “turn a blind eye” to South Africa’s situation and confirmed four conditions allegedly presented by US officials to Afrikaner leaders during a recent visit.
These included declaring farm attacks a priority crime, unequivocally condemning the song Kill the Boer, ensuring land expropriation only occurred with fair market-related compensation, and exempting American companies from Black Economic Empowerment requirements.
Mulder said the ANC’s refusal to adjust policy “further isolates South Africa” and pledged that the FF+ would continue to raise human rights concerns internationally.
Meanwhile, labour union Solidarity said the document was an example of just how far the government’s policy differences, increasing geopolitical tensions and a noticeable lack of constructive dialogue has impacted the country.
Solidarity confirmed that the union was planning another visit the US capital next month, in an attempt to fix relations between the two countries.
Spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans said the union would push for abolishing race-based laws, improving bilateral relations and securing a fair deal on trade.
“The government’s continued unwillingness to engage in self-examination exacerbates poverty, erodes race relations and undermines international relations as well as support for the country,” Kleynhans said.
This follows the International Relations and Cooperation department strongly rejecting the report earlier in the day, describing it as “inaccurate” and based on “a-contextual and discredited accounts”.
It criticised the US for prematurely framing certain cases such as the deaths of farm workers under active judicial consideration as extrajudicial killings.
It also noted that incidents of police use of force were being investigated under South Africa’s constitutional oversight mechanisms.
The department said it was “ironic” for a country that withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council to issue such assessments, especially given America’s own record on migrant detention, racial inequality and due process violations.
The department highlighted a recent UN Human Rights Office assessment that supported the Expropriation Act as a necessary step towards redressing racially imbalanced land ownership.
The dispute comes amid already tense bilateral relations between Pretoria and Washington, complicated by disagreements over South Africa’s foreign policy alignment, especially its ties to Russia, China and Palestine.
The report asserts that South Africa’s human rights situation “significantly worsened” in the past year, citing “credible reports” of arbitrary killings, unlawful detentions and repression of racial minorities.
It specifically criticises President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of the Expropriation Act as a “substantially worrying step” that threatens the land rights of Afrikaners and other minorities.
It highlights unresolved cases of farm attacks, inflammatory rhetoric against racial minorities and alleged intimidation of journalists.
While the DA urges diplomatic repair and the FF+ calls for meeting US demands, the EFF and the government see the report as part of a broader pattern of Western interference.
INSIDE POLITICS