US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with President Cyril Ramaphosa last August in Pretoria. File Picture: Andrew Hamik/ AFP
Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
US acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland is on her way to South Africa to meet with senior government officials.
South Africa is currently trying to get the US to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) when it expires in 2025.
Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana, Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel and Minister in the Presidency responsible for State Security, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni were in the US a few weeks ago when they met with top Joe Biden administration officials and senior lawmakers about Agoa and investments.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai met with the Ministers in Washington where the issue of Agoa was discussed.
The ministers also had a meeting with business executives and Senator Chris Coons.
Coons was one of the four US lawmakers who wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Tai to move the Agoa summit away from South Africa because of allegations of arms sales to Russia.
South Africa is due to host the Agoa summit in November.
Pretoria has denied allegations that it sold arms to Russia.
Nuland will visit several African countries.
Her trip was due to begin at the end of July and it will end on August 4.
Other than South Africa, Nuland will visit Côte d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“In South Africa, acting deputy secretary Nuland will lead US participation in the US-South Africa Working Group on African and Global Issues. This is the third year she has represented the United States at the event. The acting deputy secretary will also meet with senior South African government leaders and leaders in the energy sector,” said Nuland’s office.
There has been a flurry of activities between South Africa and the US in the last few months.
Pretoria has been pushing for the renewal of Agoa.
Patel has said this would be important for the economy.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics