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US Consulate threatens to leave Johannesburg
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The United States consulate in Johannesburg may shut down if the city proceeds with renaming Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled Drive, US officials have warned.
On Thursday, 13 March 2025, a motion to rescind the renaming of Sandton Drive was dismissed after a vote during a Johannesburg council meeting. Despite objections from some councillors, the majority supported the name change as a show of solidarity with Palestine.
Critics of the renaming argued that the process was flawed and that residents and businesses in Sandton largely opposed it. They also said the city should prioritize service delivery over symbolic name changes.
However, supporters insisted that renaming the street after Leila Khaled, a controversial Palestinian figure, would send a political message against US influence.
Joel Pollak, the frontrunner to become the US Ambassador to South Africa, warned that the renaming could have serious diplomatic consequences.
"The consulate will be closed and not be reopened. It will not be moved and go to another office. The United States will not do business with Johannesburg," Pollak stated.
In a post on X, Pollak further suggested that the move could lead to cost savings for the US government, writing, “Helpfully, the renaming would create another savings for DOGE: close the consulate.”
The US Consulate in Johannesburg provides key services to residents of Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and North-West Provinces. If it closes, South Africans will have to travel to Cape Town or Durban for US visa applications and other consular services.
The African National Congress (ANC), with support from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), first proposed the name change last year. The ANC has historically been aligned with the Palestinian cause, dating back to its ties with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) in the 1950s.
ANC first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane strongly supported the renaming. She reportedly said, “We want the United States of America embassy to change their letterhead to Number 1 Leila Khaled Drive. We are sending a message that they cannot dominate us and tell us what to do. It must be in their face, it must be in their computers, in their letterheads.”
Leila Khaled, after whom the street is set to be renamed, is a controversial figure in the Palestinian liberation movement. A former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), she was involved in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and another hijacking in 1970. She was later released in a prisoner exchange.
If the renaming goes ahead and the US consulate follows through on its threat to close, it could strain US-South Africa relations and inconvenience thousands of South Africans who rely on consular services in Johannesburg.
While the ANC remains firm on the renaming, opposition councillors continue to push for reconsideration, arguing that the move is unnecessary and could have serious repercussions.
On Thursday, 13 March 2025, a motion to rescind the renaming of Sandton Drive was dismissed after a vote during a Johannesburg council meeting. Despite objections from some councillors, the majority supported the name change as a show of solidarity with Palestine.
Critics of the renaming argued that the process was flawed and that residents and businesses in Sandton largely opposed it. They also said the city should prioritize service delivery over symbolic name changes.
However, supporters insisted that renaming the street after Leila Khaled, a controversial Palestinian figure, would send a political message against US influence.
Joel Pollak, the frontrunner to become the US Ambassador to South Africa, warned that the renaming could have serious diplomatic consequences.
"The consulate will be closed and not be reopened. It will not be moved and go to another office. The United States will not do business with Johannesburg," Pollak stated.
In a post on X, Pollak further suggested that the move could lead to cost savings for the US government, writing, “Helpfully, the renaming would create another savings for DOGE: close the consulate.”
The US Consulate in Johannesburg provides key services to residents of Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and North-West Provinces. If it closes, South Africans will have to travel to Cape Town or Durban for US visa applications and other consular services.
The African National Congress (ANC), with support from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), first proposed the name change last year. The ANC has historically been aligned with the Palestinian cause, dating back to its ties with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) in the 1950s.
ANC first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane strongly supported the renaming. She reportedly said, “We want the United States of America embassy to change their letterhead to Number 1 Leila Khaled Drive. We are sending a message that they cannot dominate us and tell us what to do. It must be in their face, it must be in their computers, in their letterheads.”
Leila Khaled, after whom the street is set to be renamed, is a controversial figure in the Palestinian liberation movement. A former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), she was involved in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and another hijacking in 1970. She was later released in a prisoner exchange.
If the renaming goes ahead and the US consulate follows through on its threat to close, it could strain US-South Africa relations and inconvenience thousands of South Africans who rely on consular services in Johannesburg.
While the ANC remains firm on the renaming, opposition councillors continue to push for reconsideration, arguing that the move is unnecessary and could have serious repercussions.
Source - businesstech
