EDITORIAL: SA is Moscow’s mule
Defence minister in farcical trip to Moscow
If there was still any doubt about where SA’s allegiance lies in the Ukraine war, defence minister Thandi Modise will have put that to rest with a mortar-like thud this week.
On Monday, Modise flew to Moscow to attend a conference focused on all things security. Geopolitical tensions in Africa and the Middle East, international terrorism, the conflict in Syria, the global fight against Islamic State. And a partridge in a pear tree.
Everything, in fact, but what is arguably the greatest current threat to international peace: Vladimir Putin’s murderous empire-building outing in Ukraine.
While Modise cosied up to her warmongering counterpart, her spokesperson, Cornelius Monama, with nary a trace of irony, proclaimed SA “ready to work with all peace-loving nations”.
The big takeout (other than rank hypocrisy): the conference is an opportunity to “share practical ideas” and expose SA to “innovative strategies to address defence and security challenges that confront Africa”.
If these include a how-to guide for illegally invading a sovereign state, a masterclass in misinformation and tips on having a shadowy mercenary group further your interests abroad, then Modise has certainly found herself in the right company.