The South African Communist Party (SACP) has reaffirmed its complete endorsement of the African peace mission, underscoring the significance of resolving the Ukraine-Russia conflict through diplomatic channels rather than aligning with imperialist powers.
In a major endeavour to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict, President Cyril Ramaphosa recently spearheaded an African peace mission to Ukraine and Russia.
Accompanied by a delegation comprising numerous African heads of state, the primary objective was to facilitate diplomatic negotiations and foster peaceful dialogue. However, their journey faced unexpected challenges during a layover in Poland, which led to allegations of sabotage and interference.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Solly Mapaila, General Secretary of the SACP, commended the efforts of the delegation and shed light on the unfortunate incidents they encountered during their stay in Poland.
Mapaila drew attention to the historical connection between Poland and Janusz Waluś, an assassin who was recently released from custody after serving time for the murder of prominent anti-apartheid activist and former SACP Secretary General, Chris Hani.
Originally sentenced to death for his role in Hani’s assassination, Waluś’s sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment, and he was held at the Kgosi Mampuru C-Max prison facility in Pretoria. Despite being denied parole on four occasions, the Constitutional Court ordered his release on parole in November 2022.
However, it was delayed for almost a week following an attack on him in prison, and he was ultimately released on December 7, 2022.
Mapaila highlighted this background to underscore the significance of the incident in Poland, which served as a reminder of the association between the country and the convicted assassin.
“The sabotage in Poland reminded us that the assassin Janusz Waluś, who pulled the trigger, killing the SACP General Secretary Chris Hani in cold blood on 10 April 1993 in defence of apartheid perpetuity, is from Poland. To this day, the assassin enjoys widespread racist celebration in Poland as a hero.
“In frustrating the South African delegation of the African peace mission, Polish authorities should be viewed to have been acting in the context of the United States-led imperialist manoeuvres to block efforts aimed at securing a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. A part of this agenda in South Africa became clearly visible recently in the baseless but well-calculated allegations by Dr Reuben Brigety. The United States ambassador hysterically alleged that South Africa supplied weapons to Russia in December 2022 from Simon’s Town amid the war in Ukraine,” the party said.
The SACP also expressed strong criticism towards the US, the UK and other former colonial powers for their alleged role in instigating the conflict in Ukraine. According to the party, these powers, operating through NATO, pursued a strategy of expanding their influence eastward with the objective of gaining control over valuable global natural resources and maintaining their dominance.
“The imperialist forces created the conditions for Russia’s response in the form of its Special Military Operation, which they turned into war,” said Mapaila.
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