South Africa’s foreign policy has for some time been the subject of scrutiny.
Recently, it has been (albeit politely) questioned by the Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib, who very diplomatically said that Belgium had “always looked up to South Africa as a key partner for peace and the defence for human rights and basic international principles, so given your strong historical links to Russia, we would be delighted if you consider using your channels of communication to advance on a path towards peace based on the international principles.”
How did our government respond? Our President said that the country would continue to promote peace. Awesome. Good for us. Or is it really the case? What is the ANC – the governing party that dictates our foreign policy – really up to? Let us explore this in more detail with reference to what it was up to during this time.
‘Working visit’ to Russia
As recently as 2 April 2023, the governing party proclaimed that several of its members are currently on a “working visit” to Russia. Why, pray to tell, one would ask. It was, so the public was informed, a visit followed by an invitation from the United Russian Party – Russia’s supposed largest political party and a longstanding ally and friend of the ANC. In essence, so the ANC confirmed, it was a “working visit to the Russian Federation.”
But what on earth would they be discussing, these influential Russians and our ANC National Executive Members? What ideas and policies would these Russian heavyweights and our (among others) International Relations Subcommittee Deputy Chairperson and Deputy Minister of International Relations be sharing among themselves? Luckily, we don’t have to guess, as the party informed us that the engagements will include “discussions on the recalibration of the global order to reserve the consequences of neo-colonialism and the previously prevailing unipolar world.”
One needs to take a step back to properly digest this statement, as it is cloaked in what seems to be finely nuanced political parlance. But, once it is consumed bite by bite and stripped of its highfalutin partisan robe, there appears to be something quite worrisome that underlies it.
Differently put, the statement reads thus: The ANC NEC members and their Russian counterparts discussed how to change the global order, and in so doing discussed what consequences should follow for those responsible for neo-colonialism and the world as it was, supposedly controlled by those responsible for colonialism.
On the face of it, there is little wrong with having such discussions, as reparations for those affected by colonial rule are not only universally prevalent but to a great many people also relevant and important. Engaging in such talks can also be helpful in understanding history in order to ensure that the negative impact that colonialism had on large parts of the world is not repeated by future generations. How to address this and other negative consequences that were spawned by colonial rule can therefore be a noble and necessary reason for individuals crafting nations’ foreign policy to meet and share ideas.
Why have discussions with a country at war with another?
However, the fact that the ANC has decided to have these discussions with a nation that is the aggressor in an ongoing war is worrisome, as it is akin to deliberating with rabbits as to what is to happen with a crop of lettuce.
It is highly doubtful that the outcome of the discussions (at least from a Russian perspective) will be one where the debate should triumph over conflict and where weighing up different viewpoints will prevail over one-sided action. I say this not because I am guessing and that my guesswork has been influenced by distrust shaped by Western ideology. I say this because of the fact that Russia is actively engaged in a war with Ukraine. This is not a notion that, in order for it to be taken seriously, requires a cerebral discourse; it is a fact.
So why would the ANC elect to have these discussions with a country that is waging war on another? The ANC has repeatedly justified its relationship with Russia by stating that, mostly because of its historical relationship between the party and the country that munificently provided it with assistance and training during apartheid, it will remain loyal to it.
It is this loyalty that has made the ANC show its true colours, and which should be deeply disturbing to all South Africans who respect and believe in our Constitution and the constitutional democracy that governs our land. The reasons for this are axiomatic: if the governing party can stay loyal to a country that is ruled by one of the worst tyrants of our time, it can discard the values that the likes of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and Oliver Tambo who fought so hard to instill in our society, namely (to name but a view) the right to life, dignity, and freedom of association.