South African education programmes hit hard as USAID shuts down

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) focused on education in South Africa have been forced to shut their doors and halt vital programs following United States President Donald Trump’s decision to cut funding to the country.

Trump announced on Sunday that his administration would be cutting off all future funding to South Africa over the recent signing of the Expropriation Bill.

On Monday, shortly after the announcement, Trump closed the United States Agency for International Development USAID offices in Washington.

USAID has contributed to funding education and other public service programs in South Africa.

ALSO READ: ‘We will expropriate land and Trump’s threats won’t stop us’ — Malema

USAID programmes funded

Speaking to The Citizen, one of the USAID-funded programmes in South Africa said while the funding was not directly putting jobs at risk, it could no longer provide resources for its current programmes.

While the total cost of Trump’s decision to the educational sector has not yet been calculated, in 2017, USAID said it was funding $33 million (R445 million at the time) in educational programmes in South Africa.

“The USAID/South Africa Basic Education Program aims to improve primary grade reading outcomes, with a focus on long-term impact and sustainability,” the agency said.

According to USAID, it has been working with the SA government and multiple other private sectors to fund educational programs in the country.

“USAID/South Africa supports local South African organisations to implement innovative projects that work with district officials, principals, and teachers to improve the quality of language and literacy instruction.”

USAID’s education portfolio includes high-education projects focusing on three different African languages.

ALSO READ: US funding threats: Is Elon Musk influencing Trump’s decisions on South Africa?

Billionaire Musk’s influence in the USAID shutdown

Furthermore, AP reported that the Trump administration, backed by billionaire Elon Musk, launched a bid to dismantle the agency responsible for providing vital overseas aid for education, starvation prevention, epidemic response, and poverty alleviation.

This move sparked fierce resistance from congressional Democrats, who condemned the effort as illegal and pledged to challenge it in court.

Although Trump has made significant changes to the federal government during the first three weeks of his new presidency, the swift changes at USAID have become a particularly contentious hot spot, with Democrats claiming that they represent Musk’s enormous influence over Washington.

“Spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper,” Musk boasted on X.

During his Monday press conference, Trump stated that closing USAID “should have been done a long time ago”.

Trump said he did not believe he needed Congress’ approval to enact such a move.

NOW READ: USAID funding freeze forces Joburg Child Welfare to halt GBV services