The neutrality that Pretoria shows makes some of the opposition and public opinion furious. South Africa abstained in a vote condemning the Russian invasion before the UN General Assembly in early March. A closed vote implying a bias condemns the opposition. In order not to ease the pressure on the government, the Democratic Alliance party organized a debate in the South African Parliament on the war in Ukraine.
as reported from Johannesburg, Roman song
“We stand by Ukraine” is the message in yellow and blue that is stretched from the rostrum by a Member of Parliament from the Democratic Alliance (DA). In the opening, his party leader John Steehuisen condemned the government’s position. “Under the shameful banner of ‘neutrality’, the ANC government has in fact silently supported Putin’s imperialist march to restore his lost empire.”
“Are you Russia’s friends or useful idiots?” asked Pieter Groenewald, the leader of the Freedom Front (FF Plus), the Afrikaner Party, in a speech to the ANC. “We must tell Russia that she is wrong,” asked Mkhuleko Hlengwa, a Zulu Inkhata (IFP) parliamentarian.
The government has maintained its official position: we do not want to get involved in this conflict. Position defended at the podium by Candith Mashego-Dlamini, Minister Delegate for International Relations.
“We ask all South Africans not to take sides in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, it would go against our principles.”
Other parties supported Vladimir Putin and the Russian invasion. This is the case with the EFF, the other opposition party, through Floyd Shivambu, its vice president. ” There is absolutely nothing wrong with Russia hindering NATO’s military expansion. »
The Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), for its part, got dents the neutrality shown by President Cyril Ramaphosa. After calling Vladimir Putin, why not call Volodymyr Zelensky?
