State and the ANC at loggerheads over Morocco relations

Government’s two centres of power – the party and the state – are behind the present rules flip-flopping in its relations with Morocco, an expert says.

International relations expert Prof Jan Venter from North-West University said it was not surprising the ANC and Luthuli House had a different approach than the government on the Morocco relations.

He attributed this to the two centres of power that have existed since the Thabo Mbeki era. Venter said the state and the party were two entities that differed on a wide variety of topics.

“The [ruling] party is a very influential and a very strong figure in politics, alongside government.

“As we approach the [ANC] elections, the various factions or groups will want to express their opinions,” Venter said.

The analyst gave a political overview of the contradictory approaches by the governing party and the South African government towards Morocco.

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While the ANC, as the ruling party, adopted an antagonistic approach to Morocco due to its close relationship with the Polisario Front, the government showed a willingness to keep diplomatic relations with Rabat.

Last week, the Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi Alami, hosted the recently appointed South African ambassador to Morocco, Ebrahim Edries – a move that demonstrated South Africa’s ambiguity in dealing with Morocco.

The House of Representatives is the main of the two houses of parliament in Morocco. Edries was warmly welcomed by Alami, who expressed his appreciation to hold talks with the envoy.

A post-meeting joint communiqué from Morocco said the duo discussed many points related to the future of Moroccan-South African parliamentary relations.

Alami and Edries also exchanged views on Africa’s priorities, especially with regard to security, stability, climate change and renewable energies.

From his side, Edries congratulated Alami for Morocco’s management of the Covid pandemic.

Edries was appointed as ambassador recently amid ambiguous relations due to the ANC’s support for the Polisario Front, who demands independence from Morocco for the Western Sahara region.

But Pretoria also continues to maintain cordial relations with the Moroccan state. Venter said it is not strange for the two centres to differ, but it could be bad for a stable democracy.