Unsurprisingly, the ANC and the Democratic Alliance (DA) are waging their own little political war over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mind you, just calling it an invasion would likely conflict with the ANC’s latest position. That position is clear, do not offend Vladimir Putin and the Russians. It wasn’t always like this… International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor has long been silenced over her misguided (in ANC eyes) statement last week calling on Russia to withdraw its troops. Now, the position of the ANC – as expressed by its international bureau chief, Lindiwe…
Unsurprisingly, the ANC and the Democratic Alliance (DA) are waging their own little political war over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mind you, just calling it an invasion would likely conflict with the ANC’s latest position. That position is clear, do not offend Vladimir Putin and the Russians. It wasn’t always like this…
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor has long been silenced over her misguided (in ANC eyes) statement last week calling on Russia to withdraw its troops.
Now the ANC’s stance — as articulated by its international bureau chief, Lindiwe Zulu — is that both sides should agree to a ceasefire… but nowhere near blaming.
No wonder the DA has used the war to score points against the ANC: anything that puts the ruling party in a bad light, or shows in international opinion that it is going against the grain, is fodder for the political cannons of the DA.
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That’s why the party scolded Defense Minister Thandi Modise, who celebrated with the Russian ambassador in Pretoria the night after Russian troops entered Ukraine.
To be fair to the ANC, the invasion was still in its early stages and would have been a serious violation of political protocol by South Africa had it not been attended to. In turn, ANC Western Cape leader Cameron Dugmore, speaking at another Russian reception, was angry that the DA in the province, “without consulting anyone”, had decided to show solidarity with Ukraine.
Why does the DA need to ‘consult’ anyone about making such a position? They don’t need permission from the ANC to do that. Unfortunately, the reality is that whatever stance Pretoria takes is irrelevant in the wider world of geopolitics.
South Africa is no longer the land of Nelson Mandela. We no longer have his moral authority. No one will listen to us anyway, whether we support Russia or Ukraine.