No human rights-based foreign policy should include Iran, where women are treated as second-class citizens, little better than slaves. LGBTQ+ minorities are put to death. Protesters against the regime face torture, rape and death
13 March 2025 - 16:37
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Andile Songezo claims that SA’s stance on Israel and Palestine is based on human rights, not support for terrorism (“Overstating ANC-Iran ties”, March 11).
Yet many powerful SA politicians and policymakers have expressed explicit support not for Palestinian sovereignty and human rights, but for the killing of Jews.
Former state security minister Ronnie Kasrils celebrated October 7 as “brilliant”, and stated that it was “damn good” that Israelis were murdered. Many of these victims were children and or elderly, and most were unarmed.
According to Hamas, then foreign minister Naledi Pandor expressed support for the October 7 attack, including the taking of hostages — a war crime and violation of human rights.
No human rights-based foreign policy should include Iran, where women are treated as second-class citizens, little better than slaves. LGBTQ+ minorities are put to death. Protesters against the regime face torture, rape and death.
Songezo tries to act as if geopolitics is a complex issue. And it is, but even on close examination there is no reason for SA to even be communicating with Iran. It has a dismal economy that does not buy our goods. And we receive most of our crude oil from Saudi Arabia, Iran’s Sunni rival.
By furthering relations with Iran, as a partner in Brics and through constant diplomatic missions, we risk alienating profitable nations who see Iran for what it is — a totalitarian, theocratic hellhole.
The only reason to align oneself with Iran is if the governing party is being bribed. Which would be unethical but at least make sense. It is even worse to think that the ANC is adopting an irrational, practically insane foreign policy based on misguided ideology alone.
I surely hope at least some South Africans are getting something out of this mess.
Nicholas Woode-Smith Cape Town
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 Anonymous correspondence will not be published.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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LETTER: SA’s foreign policy is insane
No human rights-based foreign policy should include Iran, where women are treated as second-class citizens, little better than slaves. LGBTQ+ minorities are put to death. Protesters against the regime face torture, rape and death
Andile Songezo claims that SA’s stance on Israel and Palestine is based on human rights, not support for terrorism (“Overstating ANC-Iran ties”, March 11).
Yet many powerful SA politicians and policymakers have expressed explicit support not for Palestinian sovereignty and human rights, but for the killing of Jews.
Former state security minister Ronnie Kasrils celebrated October 7 as “brilliant”, and stated that it was “damn good” that Israelis were murdered. Many of these victims were children and or elderly, and most were unarmed.
According to Hamas, then foreign minister Naledi Pandor expressed support for the October 7 attack, including the taking of hostages — a war crime and violation of human rights.
No human rights-based foreign policy should include Iran, where women are treated as second-class citizens, little better than slaves. LGBTQ+ minorities are put to death. Protesters against the regime face torture, rape and death.
Songezo tries to act as if geopolitics is a complex issue. And it is, but even on close examination there is no reason for SA to even be communicating with Iran. It has a dismal economy that does not buy our goods. And we receive most of our crude oil from Saudi Arabia, Iran’s Sunni rival.
By furthering relations with Iran, as a partner in Brics and through constant diplomatic missions, we risk alienating profitable nations who see Iran for what it is — a totalitarian, theocratic hellhole.
The only reason to align oneself with Iran is if the governing party is being bribed. Which would be unethical but at least make sense. It is even worse to think that the ANC is adopting an irrational, practically insane foreign policy based on misguided ideology alone.
I surely hope at least some South Africans are getting something out of this mess.
Nicholas Woode-Smith
Cape Town
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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