A delegation of senior officials, led by South Africa’s Group of 20 (G20) Sherpa and the Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Zane Dangor recently met with United States officials to clarify the country’s expropriation and equity laws.
The department announced that the delegation had made progress during its discussions that were initially started by former United States Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool.
The officials engaged with their counterparts in Washington, including senior officials at the White House and the State Department, to address key bilateral priorities.
“The delegation clarified key issues and misconceptions in meetings with the National Security Council’s Africa Director, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, as well as Treasury Department representatives.
“We believe that these dialogues will assist in refining the current administration’s understanding of South Africa’s position on critical matters, fostering a more nuanced perspective,” the department said in a statement on Monday.
In addition, the delegation directly addressed the concern that the South African Government’s policies are perceived to violate the human rights of minorities in post-apartheid South Africa.
“Amongst the issues addressed was the matter of how the Expropriation Act’s nil compensation clause is not designed to facilitate unlawful land seizures and undermine property investment.”
Senior officials also addressed misconceptions regarding proposed laws affecting minority rights in South Africa, according to the department.
“Senior officials presented information, which highlights the persuasive racial and structural inequality that continues to divide South Africa in all areas of the nation,” the department said.
The department stated that the post-apartheid administration is constitutionally mandated to correct the injustices of the past.
“These initiatives are consistent with the efforts to ensure that post-apartheid South Africa entrenches human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms, non-racialism, non-sexism and the supremacy of our constitution and the rule of law,” it said.
The department said the productive engagements with the US will occur at various levels of government, following the executive order issued against South Africa by the President of the United States in February this year.
This included ensuring the seventh administration positions itself as a strategic partner in a manner that avoids conflagration of the country’s national interests against those of its strategic partners worldwide. – SAnews.gov.za
