The al-Aqsa Foundation of South Africa, an aid organisation run mainly by people of Indian origin in the country has been put on a US blacklist for its alleged links to the Islamist militant group Hamas.
The South African Foundation, which arranges relief aid for orphans and children in Palestine, has been put on a US blacklist along with
controversial Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
The Foundation, run mainly by South African Indians, is believed by the US Treasury to be a "critical part of the Hamas terrorist support
infrastructure" because it sends money to the Islamist organisation in the guise of charitable contributions, The Times newspaper said Tuesday.
The US Treasury website states that "several officials" from the charity "are active supporters of al-Qaeda and (Lebanon-based group) Asbat al-Ansar."
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control maintains a list titled Special Designated Nationals, enforcing economic sanctions against the people on the list.
The name of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who is ruling his country in an uneasy alliance with Morgan Tsvangirai Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), as well as those of his wife Grace and nephew Leo also feature
on the latest list update of people that the US believes have funded terrorist organisations.
Although there was no clarity on the reasons for their inclusion, Mugabe recently played host to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who has been involved in a dispute with Washington over his country's nuclear programme.
The South African Department of International Relations and Co-operation said it was unaware of any blacklisting of South Africans by the US.
"Unless the country formally approaches us, there is not much we can do," Ayanda Ntsaluba, the director-general of the Department, told the
daily.
The Foundation would not comment on the latest blacklist, but is registered with the South African Department for Social Development as a charity organisation which has provided support to more than 300 Palestinian charities.
Two South African Indian cousins, Junaid Dockrat and Farhad Dockrat, were previously also blacklisted by the US after they provided funds to al-Alqsa Foundation.
There were also US allegations that Junaid Dockrat had helped facilitate travel of South Africans to Pakistan for al-Qaeda training, resulting in his hunting gear company, Sniper Africa, being blacklisted.