LETTER: Naledi Pandor blandly ignores public opinion

International relations and co-operation minister Naledi Pandor used blunt, bulldozer-style diplomacy to block “an absolutely disgraceful bill” by the US House of Representatives, to punish African governments that aid Russia’s malign activities in Africa (“Pandor objects to US bill aimed at targeting Russian influence in Africa,” August 25).

Needless to say, this is diplomacy in its worst form. The minister sternly upbraided the US secretary of state in July for trying to blackmail the 17 African states (SA included) that abstained from voting against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Now she does the very same thing, preaching in a threatening tone what the US should do.

Predictably, her “diplomacy”, apart from further aggravating our already sensitive relations with the US, will fail. Pandor, a public servant, blandly ignores public opinion. According to media reports, many South Africans (and others) question SA’s murky and unethical policy on Russia’s unlawful aggression against Ukraine, flouting Nelson Mandela’s principled advocacy of universal human rights, which are supposed to be the lode star of SA’s official foreign policy.

Apart from a small number of puny dictator states dependent on Russia’s military support to stay in power, a large majority in the UN have condemned Russia for this monstrous genocidal war. Now we are equivocally on the side of a gross suppressor of human rights, a murderous aggressor. The minister denies that SA follows a “neutral policy”, but falls back on contradictory doublespeak: “We abhor war, invasion of territorial integrity.”

Surely this is precisely what Russia is doing in Ukraine, but for some reason the minister refuses to call a spade a spade? This is clearly a myopic, ideological stance, not in our critical national interest given our (and Africa’s) overwhelming economic dependence, in contrast to Russia’s comparatively minuscule contribution. 

Russia is an important international role-player and is likely to remain so. My suggestion is that we continue to deal with it in a businesslike way, but with the necessary prudence and circumspection given its present untoward international behaviour.

Gerrit Olivier
Former SA ambassador to Russia

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