National Security Special Advisor, Dr Sydney Mufamadi says South Africa remains actively non-aligned as far as the Russia/Ukraine conflict is concerned.
Dr Mufamadi, who was President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special envoy, led a South African delegation to the United States to address a resolution of the US House of Representatives, calling for a review of America’s relations with South Africa.
Washington continues to take a dim view of countries supporting Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, saying it would continue to engage on the importance of upholding the United Nations Charter.
Briefing the media on his trip to the US, Dr Mufamadi says non-alignment does not mean South Africa has no view on the war.
“To say that we are actively non-aligned does not mean that we do not have a view about wars generally. We are anti-war and we will do everything necessary and possible at all material times to make sure that avoidable wars should be avoided, and we will indeed contribute to ensuring that they are avoided.”
President Ramaphosa’s Special Envoys brief the media after United States tour
Meanwhile, the African National Congress (ANC) claims that South Africa’s engagement in naval military exercises with Russia in December last year was nothing sinister.
This follows US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety’s allegation that South Africa supplied weapons to Russia to use in the war against Ukraine.
The Presidency has since disputed the claims saying it has no knowledge of weapons being loaded onto a Russian ship and that if this had happened it could have been illegal.
The ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula says, “The United States of America in terms of governance has good relations with the ANC government and the people of SA from a point of trade relations. There are clashes which we have at a party level with the USA in terms of ideology.”
The International Relations Department has confirmed that the US ambassador to South Africa has apologised for his public statement. The comments have stimulated robust public debate.
US ambassador to SA apologises for making pubic statement over Russia allegations: Dirco
