International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has once again condemned the unilateral military strikes carried out by the US against Venezuela, reaffirming the country’s commitment to multilateralism.
He also denounced the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, who are facing trial in the US.
This follows an incident in which US special forces took Maduro and his wife to the US early on Saturday morning.
In his first court appearance in New York on Monday, Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges.
Warnings by Nelson Mandela
Lamola believes that the recent actions by the US reflect the warnings made by former President Nelson Mandela regarding the dangerous times affecting the world.
Writing as a president in waiting about South Africa’s future foreign policy, former Statesman Mandela argued: “Because the world is a more dangerous place, the international community dare not relinquish its commitment to human rights.”
Lamola emphasised that South Africa’s foreign policy should prioritise justice and international law, as President Mandela highlighted. He cautioned that current challenges could undermine the UN Charter and multilateralism.
“As the machinations of powerful states threaten to return us to an era when international relations were defined by trusteeship, mandates and spheres of influence, the need to stay true to our values and principles couldn’t be more pressing.
“Chief among the principles we have sworn to uphold is the sovereign equality of all nations. When we placed our signatures upon the UN Charter, we made a solemn covenant.
“We agreed to replace the sword with the statute, the battlefield with the negotiating table. We pledged to refrain from force. Understanding that to violate the territorial integrity of one is to violate the peace and stability of all,” he said on Friday.
Public participation event
The minister was speaking in the North West, where his department hosted a public participation event. The event was held at the Civic Centre in Rustenburg. It was hosted in collaboration with the Rustenburg Local Municipality.
“In this challenging environment, South Africa must continue to advocate for a rules-based international order. One that is grounded in international law… The rule of law remains fundamental to global stability, legitimacy and governance.
“It is for this reason that we reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism, with the UN at its centre.”
Lamola believes that this period of significant geopolitical tension will determine whether the UN fulfils its commitments or if the world reverts to the era of the League of Nations.
“An age of wars, fragmentation and racial hierarchy. We hope that stability and peace prevail. If multilateralism is to survive the current geopolitical headwinds, reform is no longer an option.”
He once looked to Madiba’s words, who said: “The United Nations should not be dominated by a single power or a group of powers. Or else its legitimacy will continuously be called into question.”
Critics at home miss the point
Lamola described the foreign policy as one of the tools used to create the conditions for inclusive growth, decent work and a dignified life.
“Far too often, our critics argue that South Africa is too concerned with the rest of the world. While our country faces pressing challenges of its own. They argue that all politics is domestic and foreign policy is a distraction from bread-and-butter issues at home. This is a false choice.”
In the face of the raw exercise of power, Lamola said President Mandela’s teachings remain incisive.
“Principle is not a costume you wear when convenient and tear apart when it feels too heavy.
“To ask us to abandon Ubuntu, justice, and the quest for human dignity for the sake of appeasing those who resort to raw power and falsehoods to enforce their will is to ask us to shed our identity.
“South Africa is the 20th century’s biggest beneficiary of international solidarity. What explanation will we offer to posterity if we discard our values and identity at the altar of expedience?”
- SAnews.gov.za
