The ANC's partners in government have reminded the party that it does not have a unilateral authority over the country's foreign policy.
Just days into the new year, members of the government of national unity (GNU) are already at each other’s throats – this time over South Africa’s response to the political tensions between the United States (US) and Venezuela.
DA spokesperson on international relations, Ryan Smith, says South Africa appears to have deviated from its non-aligned posture in instances of international conflict.
Smith criticised the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) for calling for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) following the apprehension of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US law enforcement.
The South African government has also called on the Trump administration to release Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. The two are accused of narco-terrorism in the US.
“Dirco failed to take a similar stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This exposes the politically selective and hypocritical means in which the ANC conducts South Africa’s diplomatic relations on the international stage.
“Diplomacy cannot be built on contradictions and inconsistencies. In the context of the situation in Venezuela, the ANC has again decided to pursue its entrenched party-political interests in our foreign policy by referring the USA to the UNSC when no such appeal for intervention was ever made when Russian President, Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukraine and was found guilty of human rights abuses for child trafficking,” he said.
Two-faced approaches
Smith said the ANC has adopted a two-faced approach to South Africa’s foreign policy, prioritising its own party interests over South Africa’s.
“This is a gross betrayal of the values and principles enshrined in the South African constitution. The ANC cannot expect South Africa to be taken seriously by this recent appeal to the UNSC when it continues to position itself as a ‘mediator’ in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“The DA strongly opposes Dirco being politicised to pursue party political interests instead of pursuing foreign policy in the national interest.
“This approach has rendered South Africa an inconsistent, unreliable, and unserious player on the international stage,” he said.
Smith said the ANC no longer holds a political majority and cannot continue to show diplomatic “hypocrisy” and the “selective application of international law” in South Africa’s international engagements.
“The DA condemns this development, and demands Dirco to act consistently in international law or refrain from embarrassing South Africa in the international arena,” he said.
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Mokonyane vs FF Plus
The FF Plus is another party that has expressed dissatisfaction with Dirco’s approach to the matter between the US government and Maduro.
Posting on his X account, Corné Mulder said: “The end of the socialist failure in Venezuela should be welcomed.”
But he was criticised by the ANC’s first deputy secretary-general, Nomvula Mokonyane, who accused Mulder of having a “minimalist view”.
“Venezuela is a sovereign state, and secondly, the issues that have to do with the US against sovereign states should not be something that they can say they do not agree with the ANC; they must actually say what they do not agree with,” said Mokonyane.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told reporters on Tuesday that the Trump administration has introduced power politics aimed at advancing imperialism and Western domination.
He said South Africa has also become a victim of this through Donald Trump’s claims that there is a white genocide taking place in South Africa.
“America accused us of genocide when there is no genocide, they said Maduro is being charged for narcotics terrorism, even when they told them that there is no such.
“The real reason for that is the question of oil economic aggression,” he said.
He said South Africa cannot sit back and watch the US take unjust actions against another sovereign state.
“We will campaign, mobilise, [and] conscientise our people against the US imperial aggression, and the African National Congress will do that. We have nothing to engage with imperialist aggressors because we and them do not share the same understanding on how things must be done,” he said.
Mbalula said the ANC has not taken any decision to challenge the Trump administration in the international courts.
Political analysis
Political analyst Theo Neethling recently told The Citizen that South Africa must be more careful in its dealings with the US because of past tensions and the ongoing trade relations talks between Pretoria and Washington.
“Punitive economic measures could be imposed if the SA government were to act in ways perceived as contrary to US global interests.
“In this context, Pretoria would be well advised to proceed cautiously in managing its diplomatic relations with both the US and actors viewed by Washington as adversaries,” he said.
