The EFF is calling for immediate dismissal of US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety after he questioned the country’s relationship with Russia.
In a media briefing held in Pretoria on Thursday, Brigety raised his concerns about how the country stated its non-aligned stance on the Ukraine conflict, and further accused South Africa of providing weapons to the Russians.
The EFF said in a statement on Friday that it is concerned because the US embassy is interfering with domestic and sovereign foreign policy issues that cannot be dictated by an external force.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo advised Brigety to “shut up” and not interfere with South Africa’s sovereign policy decisions and the relationships it engages in.
“South Africa is not a colonial outpost of the US and will never be one. South Africa will not be under imperialist control by the US, and the sooner this sitting ambassador understands that, the better,” said Thambo.
He added that the EFF’s concern is ambassadors who call media conferences to speak about issues that could have been handled through normal diplomatic channels.
“Instead of raising false alarms with the media and making reflections on domestic policy position of a political party, the US ambassador should have approached government to clarify his confusion.
“There are several embassies and foreign missions from different countries in South Africa and none of them have demonstrated the misbehaviour and ill-discipline of ambassador Reuben E Brigety.”
Thambo said the US has no right to tell South Africa what must happen with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
“If there are people who must be arrested and appear before the International Criminal Court, it is US former president George Bush for the illegal war in Iraq and Barack Obama for the senseless assassination of Maummar Gadaffi.
“There is no one who is going to arrest president Putin in South Africa, and there is no imperialist nation that will instruct South Africa to do so.”
The EFF urged the government to remain calm and not be alarmed by Brigety’s accusations, saying the global balance of forces and power is shifting and South Africa should be unashamedly associated with forces of change that seek to end the “senseless American domination over the world”.
“South Africa’s current biggest trading partner is the People’s Republic of China, and not once did we ever hear the Chinese embassy and ambassador instruct South Africa who else to trade with and what foreign policy decisions to take,” said Thambo.
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