Letter: Warning Sirens Over South Africa - Wall Street Journal

Your editorial “South Africa Joins the Anti-U.S. Axis” (March 24) concludes that “Congress is right to put Pretoria on notice” due to South Africa’s damaging foreign policy, but there is a crucial point to add. South Africa’s parliament has recently approved legislation to allow expropriation of private property with no compensation in cases, for example, where unoccupied land is held for the purpose of profitable resale, or where owners have suffered land invasions, or building hijackings. This is “land reform” along the path to ruin already traveled in Zimbabwe and Venezuela, sitting on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s desk to be signed or vetoed.

While the African Growth and Opportunity Act passed by the U.S. Congress provides South Africa with tariff-free access to U.S. markets, it also requires that every benefit country “has established, or is making continual progress toward establishing a market-based economy that protects private property rights.” South Africa’s government is on course to violate that requirement. Washington should put Pretoria on notice about this, too.

As a South African, I am particularly concerned about the welfare of my fellow citizens if property rights are allowed to erode, but the U.S. should worry about the survival of democracy itself in Africa’s most advanced economy. Last year Rep. John James (R., Mich.) offered the following warning: “There is no country in the world that has remained democratic after removing its population’s private property rights and I remain concerned about the ANC’s democratic drift away from constitutional rule” in South Africa. That warning is worth repeating.

Gabriel Crouse

Fellow, South African Institute of Race Relations

Cape Town, South Africa

https://www.wsj.com/articles/warning-south-africa-democracy-corruption-17b137c2