With Russian boots on the ground in Ukraine following an early morning military invasion of the country announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, what is South Africa’s positioning on all of this? After all, we have strong links to Russia through our BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) membership and while former president Jacob Zuma and current deputy president David Mabuza routinely visit Russia for medical treatment.
On Wednesday, international relations and cooperation minister Naledi Pandor shined some light on SA’s stance towards the conflict between the two eastern European nations (this was of course before Russia decided to invade).
In a written parliamentary reply to the question, Pandor said, “South Africa encourages all parties to approach dialogue with the spirit of compromise in order to move the process forward without accusing any party, something that will not be helpful in the efforts to resolve the conflict. South Africa stands by its principled position of peaceful resolution of conflicts.”
Well, the time for that has come and gone and even when there was a dialogue with the Russians from Western leaders, not much came from it, otherwise, we wouldn’t be on the break of another World War.
But Pieter du Toit writes that Pandor’s reply to the parliamentary questions shows that South Africa’s governing party, the ANC, continues to go out of its way to accommodate Putin (for subscribers).
Du Toit unpacks how SA’s own constitutional human-rights based democracy is at odds with Russia’s worldview and why the response from Pandor is a weak and bad faith argument.
Meanwhile, ordinary South Africans have taken to social media to ask President Cyril Ramaphosa not to get involved in the eastern European conflict while others have also asked how Ramaphosa and the department of international relations and cooperation will safely get South Africans in Ukraine back home.
Below we’ve collected some views on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
John Matisonn | Ukraine-Russia: We’re on brink of an unnecessary war, we should invoke Madiba’s name – News24 (for subscribers)
The Russian invasion – with insights from The Wall Street Journal – BizNews
I’m in Kyiv and awake at the darkest hour – as Putin’s bombs rain down – The Guardian
Understanding Putin’s narrative about Ukraine is the master key to this crisis – The Guardian
The west stood back and watched in Syria – it must not do the same in Ukraine – The Guardian
ANALYSIS | Putin’s Ukraine assault confounds Biden strategy, puts leadership to the test – News24/Reuters (for subscribers)
Putin’s antagonism toward Ukraine was never just about NATO – it’s about creating a new Russian empire – The Conversation
Explained – Putin’s gamble of keeping Ukraine on a knife-edge beneath his own Damocles sword of sanctions – Daily Maverick
