While President Cyril Ramaphosa differed publicly with International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the ANC has called for repercussions against those who kill civilians.
The government has been criticised for being soft on Russia, which has invaded parts of Ukraine, leading to the killings of hundreds of civilians as Kyiv fights back against military forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The ANC’s national working committee (NWC), which met on Monday, expressed “deep concern” regarding the escalation of the war.
“It [the NWC] reaffirmed the ANC’s conviction that international relations should be underpinned by a commitment to development, democracy, human rights, peace and security, in line with the clarion call by the Freedom Charter that “there shall be peace and friendship,” reads the statement from the ANC.
“It [the NWC] expressed its abhorrence at the suffering caused to ordinary people in every country that is involved, either directly or indirectly, in this conflict and called upon progressive formations globally to ensure that any harm to civilians invites appropriate repercussions in line with the values of a humane, just, equitable, democratic, and free world.
The statement further reads: “The NWC reiterated the call by President [Cyril] Ramaphosa that the UN Security Council should pursue a peaceful and diplomatic resolution of the conflict in line with the precepts of the UN Charter.”
However, the ruling party shied away from condemning Russia, or using words such as “invasion”. South Africa enjoys historical relations with Russia, dating back to the days of the Soviet Union, which helped in the fight against apartheid. It is also part of a bloc of emerging economies called the BRICS partnership (Brazil, Russia, India, China and SA).
Last week, Pandor did an about-turn on a statement she issued calling for dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, changing to say the latter should withdraw its military personnel. Ramaphosa was compelled to do damage control by reiterating that there should rather be mediation between the warring neighbouring countries.
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