Bangladesh, Sept. 30 -- The United States has placed South Africa on its human trafficking watch list, accusing the government in Pretoria of failing to demonstrate meaningful progress in combating forced labor, sex trafficking, and other forms of modern slavery. The move, outlined in the State Departments annual Trafficking in Persons Report, represents the latest flashpoint in already strained relations between Washington and South Africa.

According to the report, which was published three months later than scheduled due to staff cuts in the office responsible for compiling it, Pretoria has been downgraded to the Tier 2 Watch List. This category includes countries that have failed to show overall increasing efforts to address human tra...