SA’s stand on Russian invasion dismays Ukraine, US and EU
Envoy denies Ukraine is racist after treatment of Africans fleeing war
● SA’s decision to abstain during a UN General Assembly motion to reprimand Russia has upset Ukraine, the US and the EU.
Of the assembly’s 193 members, 141 voted in favour of the resolution to censure Russia. Thirty-five members, including SA and China, abstained and five countries — Russia, Syria, Belarus, North Korea and Eritrea — voted against the resolution. While General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they carry political weight.
SA has justified its decision by saying the resolution “does not create an environment conducive for diplomacy, dialogue and mediation”.
This week Ukraine’s ambassador to SA, Liubov Abravitova, told the Sunday Times she was “puzzled” by the decision. Given an opportunity to speak to President Cyril Ramaphosa she would tell him to “address Mr Putin to stop the war in Ukraine and stop killing my people”.
“Innocent people are dying every day and a country is being destroyed. You cannot stand on the side and watch. I would ask him to call for a ceasefire in my country.”
Abravitova vehemently denied that her country is racist after dramatic scenes of African nationals fleeing Ukraine being manhandled and discriminated against at the border played out in full view of the world.
“In the face of unexpected chaos, attack or war, you cannot predict where the flows of migrants will be and what challenges they are going to face,” she said.
She conceded that her country was not prepared for mass evacuations or to assist foreign nationals in Ukraine.
“There is no place for any non-inclusiveness in Ukrainian society and the best proof of that is that last year we had 16,000 African students studying in Ukraine.”
US chargé d’affaires in SA Todd Haskell said: “I am saddened when South Africa does not live up fully to its principles. No country is perfect. The US has made serious mistakes ... I would urge my South African friends to name the oppressor here and to not just sit on the fence.”
Haskell said the US is in the process of lobbying the government to take a firmer position. “The US is not forcing anyone to take a position but when we have disagreements we have forums to discuss these ... and that is our policy on this issue as well.
“Where we differ is in a tactical way because we feel it is important to name the oppressor in this particular situation.
“We continue to dialogue with the South Africans, as friends do, and they make their points to us and we do the same, but no-one is insisting that anyone agree with anyone else.
“That dialogue is ongoing, it is polite, diplomatic and extremely important.”
EU ambassador to SA Riina Kionka said SA’s decision to abstain was regrettable. “I cannot see what’s inside the brains of the decision-makers but it’s clear that there is a historic reluctance for South Africa to take a firm stance when there are great powers involved.”
She doubted that SA was obliged to abstain because it feared severing ties with Russia. “I would not say that the Brics element is playing a very prominent role.”
Kionka said she has been “trying very hard” to contact minister of international relations & co-operation Naledi Pandor and Ramaphosa without success. “We know President Ramaphosa as a very principled leader ... I don’t think South Africa is doing itself any favours by not taking a position.”
Reuters reported yesterday that Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for a failure to provide safe passage to civilians fleeing two cities besieged and bombarded by Russian forces, on the 10th day of a war that has caused Europe’s biggest humanitarian disaster in decades.
The war has sent more than a million refugees fleeing westward into the EU and provoked unprecedented international sanctions on Moscow amid warnings of a global recession.
The Russian defence ministry said its units had opened humanitarian corridors near the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, which have been encircled by its troops.
But in Mariupol, the city council said Russia was not observing the ceasefire and asked residents to return to shelters and await further information on evacuation.