African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, says despite concerns about South Africa’s non-aligned stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the country stands against the war.
Mbalula says the African Peace Mission led by President Cyril Ramaphosa should not be downplayed because it is a crucial initiative in an effort to bring a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
President Ramaphosa and six other African leaders set out a 10-point plan that could bring the conflict closer to an end, which included calls for a de-escalation of fighting and for negotiations to commence with urgency.
Mbalula says this mission is yielding positive results.
“African leaders were able to put a 10-point plan before Zelenskyy and Putin. The black sea is blockaded. We benefit from grain and fertilisers from Russia to Africa. Children, women are arrested and so on and the ten-point plan talks about de-escalation. We said nonaligned but we were able to come together on this mission in the name of peace between the two countries. What I’m saying is that we have taken a stance and we are against the war in the non-partisan stance of South Africa.”
Mbalula elaborates in the video below:
