LETTER: ANC hurts SA with allegiance to villainous Russia

The thought-provoking article by esteemed public interest lawyer Nicole Fritz warrants supportive comment (“SA on thin ice with exercise to help test arms available for war on Ukraine”, February 22). 

One acknowledges the decades-long ideological link between the ANC and Russia, noting ironically that Ukraine participated supportively in that historical link, and the resulting emotional ties and gratitude that may persist between them 30 years after SA’s celebrated democracy.

However, it is astonishing that the ANC government is seemingly not bothered by the withering destruction, misery, death and sadness in Ukraine, which is happening because a deranged, evil megalomaniac wants to rewrite history and recover the old Soviet Union. Tragically, while most of the world weeps and gasps in horror at the atrocities and bloodshed in Ukraine, our government looks the other way.

Any argument that SA is a member of Brics and that its heavyweight members such as Russia can therefore prescribe morality and human principle (or the lack of them) to its lightweight member, SA, is ridiculous. SA, ostensibly a doyen of human rights and constitutionality with its own history of conflict and hurt, is betrayed by its government’s limp responses to the Ukraine crisis.

We cannot claim to be neutral in this human tragedy when we participate in naval exercises off our coast with villainous Russia, which may reportedly be testing missiles that almost certainly will in due course be turned on Ukraine and its citizens and cause mayhem. We cannot claim to be neutral when we gleefully host the foreign secretary of Russia, with his SA counterpart, Naledi Pandor, gushing supportively in his presence while Ukraine is being blown apart.

There is so much that is now switching off and distressing the citizens of our country as we learn day by day, including through the Zondo state capture commission process, how numbers of ANC cadres and criminals have plundered and wrecked our country over the past 15 to 20 years.

The president recently confirmed in his state of the nation address, talking about the pleasing progress the country has made over the past five years (the debilitating impact of Covid notwithstanding) that our leaders are fooling themselves. They are living with their cronies in an advantaged, corrupt and protected bubble that is separated from all other citizens by greed, ignorance and a shameful lack of care.

Their inability to diplomatically denounce this atrocious violence and cruelty by Russia against Ukraine is internationally embarrassing and locally is likely to turn even more voters against them come the elections in 2024. The West is surely also soon going to draw the line and punish SA going forward if our government does not stop claiming neutrality in the Russia/Ukraine conflict while brazenly showing its allegiance to Russia.

Our country and all us citizens and residents will suffer, and the ANC will be singularly responsible. It is so sad that this once grand liberation movement that was admired and respected internationally is tragically now so deformed by factions and in the hands of people lacking a sense of humanity, integrity and principle.

Trevor Munday
Via email

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