LETTER: Ramaphosa antagonises Trump

Sisanda Mbolekwa’s article refers (“DA’s US trip to ‘stabilise diplomatic relations’ irks Lamola”, March 5).

According to the department of international relations & co-operation’s spokesperson, minister Ronald Lamola views the DA’s visit as out of line because only the executive is empowered to represent SA’s foreign policy.

The spokesperson insisted that the government is committed to nonalignment and advancing the national interest, which he equated with SA’s “nation-building project”, meaning redressing past wrongs and improving the quality of life of all South Africans. It is yet another tired reference to apartheid.

This is problematic. The ANC cannot shed its autocratic instincts. It knows best, and should be left to govern free of outside intrusion, regardless of the reality that it has brought the country to its knees. It is a principal reason why so many South Africans remain in abject poverty.

Emma Powell, as an MP and member of the foreign affairs portfolio committee, has a legitimate role. By all accounts the DA mission did a better job serving SA’s interests than the government delegation, which is not welcome in Washington.

This is hardly surprising. In a recent act of self-sabotage President Cyril Ramaphosa, writing in Foreign Policy magazine, criticised Donald Trump and expressed his belief in “protagonism, not supplication”.

He and his co-authors committed to complying with the International Criminal Court arrest warrants against Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.

This is as Trump’s executive order lambastes SA’s genocide case against Israel, but not against Hamas, at the International Court of Justice. Ramaphosa chooses confrontation.

Finally, the government’s protestations of nonalignment become tedious when the evidence suggests otherwise. During his 2024 visit to the US Lamola refused to criticise Russia for invading Ukraine, even when pressed.

François Theron
Pretoria

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