SA is turning a blind eye as the world faces a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions
24 February 2022 - 14:23
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Ukrainian service members ride an infantry fighting vehicle on the front line near the village of Zaitseve in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 19 2022. Picture: GLEB GARANICH/ REUTERS
SA government silence on the tensions that simmered between Russia and Ukraine in recent days was deafening. Our government was quiet because it is caught between a rock and a hard place.
Given SA’s apartheid history our country and many other liberation movements in Africa were supported by Russia with political and military training, so we are inherently indebted to Russia, as we are to Cuba and China. But the war between Russia and Ukraine represents the biggest threat since World War 2.
SA joined the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and SA) bloc of leading emerging economies on December 24 2010, with the objective of promoting peace, security, development and co-operation. Coupled to that is the development of humanity and the establishment of a more equitable and fair world.
The world now faces a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. Crude oil prices have already risen sharply to more than $100 a barrel. The fundamental question we should be asking is what economic effect this will have on SA and a world still reeling from the effects of the Covid pandemic.
What are SA’s international policy objectives when we join multilateral and bilateral institutions such as Brics? I believe we should join them to pursue the objectives of creating a just and harmonious world order. However, in recent years SA has behaved like an ostrich, burying its head in the sand when there are contentious issues affecting a particular nation, presumably to ensure we are still invited to glamorous summits and can mingle with heads of state from the biggest nations.
This includes our attitude as it relates to atrocities and aggression meted out by fellow Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and AU states, such as Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Sudan, often against unarmed and innocent civilians. Our response is lacklustre instead of being resolute in opposition to aggressors while respecting the sovereignty of such states.
Mafika Siphiwe Mgcina, Sedibeng
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Caught between a Bric and a hard place
SA is turning a blind eye as the world faces a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions
SA government silence on the tensions that simmered between Russia and Ukraine in recent days was deafening. Our government was quiet because it is caught between a rock and a hard place.
Given SA’s apartheid history our country and many other liberation movements in Africa were supported by Russia with political and military training, so we are inherently indebted to Russia, as we are to Cuba and China. But the war between Russia and Ukraine represents the biggest threat since World War 2.
SA joined the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and SA) bloc of leading emerging economies on December 24 2010, with the objective of promoting peace, security, development and co-operation. Coupled to that is the development of humanity and the establishment of a more equitable and fair world.
The world now faces a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. Crude oil prices have already risen sharply to more than $100 a barrel. The fundamental question we should be asking is what economic effect this will have on SA and a world still reeling from the effects of the Covid pandemic.
What are SA’s international policy objectives when we join multilateral and bilateral institutions such as Brics? I believe we should join them to pursue the objectives of creating a just and harmonious world order. However, in recent years SA has behaved like an ostrich, burying its head in the sand when there are contentious issues affecting a particular nation, presumably to ensure we are still invited to glamorous summits and can mingle with heads of state from the biggest nations.
This includes our attitude as it relates to atrocities and aggression meted out by fellow Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and AU states, such as Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Sudan, often against unarmed and innocent civilians. Our response is lacklustre instead of being resolute in opposition to aggressors while respecting the sovereignty of such states.
Mafika Siphiwe Mgcina, Sedibeng
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
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