Johannesburg – Former Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman has called on the United States to target individual South African officials with sanctions rather than imposing measures that could hurt the country’s wider business community.
Froneman made the remarks during an interview with BizNews, where he discussed his efforts to bring Formula 1 back to South Africa and the challenges posed by the country’s foreign policy.
He said South Africa’s private sector and ordinary citizens should not bear the economic consequences of policies pursued by government officials.
“With my work in Washington and with the United States, we have made it very clear that the private sector and the majority of South Africans are not the problem,” Froneman said.
“Therefore, don’t punish business in South Africa. Rather, target those individuals who continue to drive policies that are not supported by the majority.”
Froneman said South Africa’s relations with Iran and Russia, along with policies including expropriation without compensation, had made international business deals more difficult, particularly with US companies.
“With this support and South Africa’s foreign policy, you have started seeing these targeted sanctions, if I can call them that, coming through now,” he said.
His comments come amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Pretoria and Washington, including US visa restrictions announced in September targeting certain South Africans over allegations involving race-based discrimination and related policies.
US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III has warned that further consequences could follow, saying: “As a result, the consequences, as I’ve attempted time and again to express, are necessarily going to be severe.”
Froneman is also pursuing a bid to bring Formula 1 back to South Africa through a proposed R6.7 billion circuit in the Swartland, with a 2031 Grand Prix target.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram
Picture: Chat GPT
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
