House Chairperson,
On 7 February 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order suspending all USAID to South Africa, citing concerns over this country’s land expropriation laws, which the US administration alleges discriminates against Afrikaners. The ACDP believes this decision was based on misinformation and misunderstanding as the Expropriation Act (13 of 2024) does not explicitly single out Afrikaners. Its implementation, however, has raised concerns due to historical land ownership.
USAID is given to gain strategic partnership and promotes America’s values, such as democracy and human rights. It is also given to encourage trade and investment in developing markets that benefit the USA. Among other things, it is also given in response to natural disasters, hunger and health crises, all of which contribute to South Africa’s economic, political and environmental stability.
House Chairperson, it would be foolish to respond arrogantly to this suspension. While we decry the speed at which the withdrawal of USAID was made – creating an income and health crisis for thousands of South Africans – it nevertheless highlights the enormous debt of gratitude we should have for the aid we have received from the US.
The ACDP urges government to engage in bilateral talks with the US administration in the hope that our soft approach would send a clear message that South Africa is ready for business and, consequently, attract much-needed investments from them, see suspended programmes reinstated, and have life-giving aid speedily restored.
House Chairperson, the ACDP agrees with Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit of the Anglican Church of Kenya who reportedly said that the freezing of USAID should be viewed as an opportunity for the African continent to work hard towards becoming self-reliant. Yes, Africa should learn to ‘stand on its own feet’ and reduce their dependency on Western handouts.
The ACDP also agrees with some Ugandan economists who view the freezing of foreign aid as a catalyst for exploring alternative revenue sources and reimagining the continent’s economic trajectory.
Lastly, I want to appeal to President Cyril Ramaphosa to start condemning the slaughter and persecution of Christians, particularly on the African continent. He knows about thousands of Christians who have been killed for their beliefs, some who were beheaded by Boko Haram in Nigeria, and yet (to my knowledge) he did not condemn the killings. He knows about the killings of Christians in Somalia and Sudan, and yet says nothing.
In a recent heinous act of cruelty, violence and madness, 70 Christians were reportedly found beheaded in a church in the DRC.
According to sources, suspected militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – a group with ties to the so-called Islamic State (IS) – approached homes in Mayba on 13 February and captured 70 Christian men, women and children, and took them to a protestant church in Kasanga where they were beheaded.
The ACDP encourages Christians around the world to stand together in unity and pray for peace and the protection of Christians from these ruthless acts of hatred, violence and persecution in Africa and other parts of the world.
