Reflecting on Human Rights Day can be a sobering moment as we remember what happened on March 21, 1960, in Sharpeville where apartheid police opened fire on a crowd of people protesting passbook laws thus killing 69 people.
When the ANC finally came to power in the 1990s, March 21 was named Human Rights Day in remembrance of the massacre at Sharpeville.
But as we have just celebrated the day in 2022, we should be issuing an apology to the Ukrainian Ambassador Liubov Abravitova for our stance on the war in Ukraine and our failure to condemn Russian aggression, writes Adriaan Basson.
He contends that the current crop of ANC politicians, particularly President Ramaphosa, would rather cosy up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and protect our relationship with Russia than do as those in the liberation Struggle did and stand up to the oppressor.
Basson asks Abravitova to remind Ukrainians that not all South Africans agree with the country’s foreign policy decisions.
“And please tell them, Ambassador Abravitova, we are really, really sorry that our governing party, unrecognisable from the liberation movement that gave birth to it, and our president, who values his so-called relationship with Putin over human rights violations, have shown time and again that they feel f****l for the plight of innocent Ukrainians.”
Strong words, indeed.
Meanwhile, The Citizen writes in its editorial that it has become clear that South Africa is nothing more than a Russian client state.
The publication contends that the ANC’s attitude towards Russian aggression will be the nail in the coffin for the party. It cites a historical similarity to today’s status quo. There was a time when the ANC hoped for socialism and communism to sweep across South Africa and vanquish capitalism to the ash heap of history just as it had done in the Soviet Union.
The publication writes that the ANC cared little that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had killed millions of his own people to bring forth that communist state and it seems that today the ANC is little concerned with the lives being lost in Ukraine by, once again, a Russian leader’s hand.
Here’s a roundup of the world’s top and most interesting headlines:
Ralph Mathekga | Civil society organisations, not government, are our unsung heroes – News24 (for subscribers)
Mandy Wiener | Zondo is the Chief Justice but he will have to be beyond reproach – News24 (for subscribers)
ANN CROTTY: Beware of the share buyback – Financial Mail (for subscribers)
EDITORIAL: Company general meetings put up a show of transparency – Business Day (register to read)
TOM EATON: The melting of Antarctica threatens to swamp an age-old SA institution – Business Day (for subscribers)
‘Imperial Presidency the weak link in the Constitution’ — retired Justice Dikgang Moseneke – Daily Maverick
JUSTICE MALALA | What would Hani make of SA today? Spoiler alert: not much – Sunday Times Daily (for subscribers)
