UKRAINE: SOUTH AFRICA’S GOVERNMENT IS CHOOSING TO DANCE WITH THE DEVIL
South Africa’s head of public diplomacy, Clayson Monyela, recently wrote a 1,000word piece for Daily Maverick, explaining the government’s position on Russian aggression against Ukraine – 1,000 words but not once did Mr Monyela use the term “invasion” to describe what is happening.
Mr Monyela is perhaps one of Putin’s worst apologists so far. His attempt to shift blame for the wannabe tsar’s unprovoked attack on a free and sovereign country is transparently pro-Kremlin. He speaks of South Africa’s non-alignment before descending into a long screed about Nato expansion, conveniently ignoring the elephant in the room – the tanks in Ukraine and the bombs being dropped on civilian targets.
Our non-aligned position is that nations must align themselves or face the music. If you don’t do what Russia wants, they are entitled to march into your country and we will gently suggest a friendly chat over tea to resolve the issue while your people are unceremoniously shot in the street (strongly urging you to surrender your right to choose your own alliances, government and destiny). We will also happily bemoan sanctions against our favourite world powers because, God forbid, actions come with consequences!
As Mr Monyela points out, the peaceful settlement in SA was reached after negotiation. There was no armed resistance, no international sanctions, and certainly no precondition that security forces must withdraw from the townships and that political prisoners must be released. We also didn’t demand the right to choose our own destiny, free of limitations on the new government’s policies once in power.
Oh, wait… We resisted and set preconditions for negotiation and we never conceded to the apartheid government’s facetious demands, deflections and false claims. When people in our democratically elected government try to wave it all away – demanding Ukraine settle for less than we were willing to – it makes a mockery of our history and grinds away at our democratic spirit.
Independence? Freedom? Sovereignty? Those all sound a little revolutionary for the taste of our current leaders. The important thing is that smaller countries submit to the whims of bigger countries, especially if the bigger countries in question are our buddies.
But here’s the truth: Russia’s “security concerns” are hypothetical. Our government’s failure to address Ukraine’s security crisis is farcical. We are watching distinguished members of the diplomatic corps, statespeople and former champions of liberty bend themselves into pretzels, trying to defend a clear breach of another nation’s sovereignty and an affront to basic human decency, the sanctity of life and the right of all persons to live free from oppression.
Our claims of neutrality are false as our President calls the bad guys to get their side of the story before (according to the Russian embassy) discussing trade and other cooperation. We don’t try to phone the other guy: the hero who’s leading his country with honour while walking around with a bounty on his head, thanks to our friend Vlad. Meanwhile, both Fikile Mbalula and Bheki Cele – two senior cabinet members – have made distasteful jokes about Ukraine while innocent mothers are evacuated from bombed maternity wings.
None of the wishy-washy, self-aggrandising and self-righteous pontification by our political leaders and their mouthpieces should be treated with any seriousness. It threatens to disgrace us all, as we entertain a brutal dictator and warmonger who will go down as one of history’s greatest monsters.
We are dancing with the devil and aligning ourselves with the forces of evil. That’s not hyperbole – this is about the soul of our country and the very survival of another.
Justin de Swardt