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South Africa’s Official Position on Ukraine, Palestine, Myanmar… (and other conflicts)

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The South African Government has taken the middle ground, ‘Mother Theresa’ position in the Russia-Ukraine war/conflict/skirmish/terrorism attack by stating that diplomacy will win the way and not wanting to side with any country in that conflict.

Such a position can be viewed in a number of ways:

  1. Principled and demanding strength of character
  2. Weak and stupid
  3. Subservient to the mighty rouble/dollar/rand OR
  4. Consistently wishy washy like South Africa’s stance on all other conflicts in our world!

Many people are speculating about South Africa’s position on some of the major conflicts in the world – collated below are the official positions of the South African Government:

  1. Palestine-Israel
  2. Ukraine
  3. Myanmar
  4. South Sudan
  5. Yemen
  6. Libya
  7. Afghanistan
  8. Iraq

Of the 8 conflicts above South Africa officially ‘took sides’ by supporting a country in only two conflicts – Palestine and Myanmar. The official position in the other 6 was one of diplomacy.

Palestine:

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday 17 May 2022 that unless the root causes of the Israel-Palestine conflict were addressed, there would never be peace.

“As lovers of freedom and of justice, we stand with the Palestinian people in their quest for self-determination, but also in their resistance against the deprivation of their human rights and the denial of their dignity,” Ramaphosa wrote in his weekly column.

He said the escalating situation in Israel and Palestine affirms once more what South Africans know too well that intractable conflicts can only be solved through peaceful negotiation.

“It also demonstrates that unless the root causes of a conflict are addressed, in this case the illegal occupation by Israel of Palestinian land and the denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, there will never be peace,” he wrote.

Ramaphosa said Israel’s actions are a violation of international law.

“They show a total disregard for successive United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that call for an end to the occupation of Palestinian land and for the fulfillment of the rights of the Palestinian people,” the former anti-apartheid activist note.

Ramaphosa said the sight of seeing a group of Palestinian families evicted from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem to make way for Israeli settlements reminded him of what happened to millions of South Africans including his own family during apartheid.

“It was a pain and humiliation faced by my own family, and by many South African families. My family was forcibly moved to different parts of the country on two occasions,” he said.

“Being forced from one’s home at gunpoint is a trauma not easily forgotten, and is carried across generations. As a country we are still living with the residual effects of the callous acts carried out in the name of apartheid spatial planning,” he wrote.

The South African leader whose Cabinet last week issued a statement calling on Israel to stop “barbaric” attacks on Palestinians called on both parties involved in the conflict to show restraint, to respect human life, and to cease current hostilities.

“Far too many lives have been lost to this intractable conflict. The continued occupation of Palestinian land and the suffering of the Palestinian people is a blight on the conscience of humanity,” he said.

Ramaphosa further said South Africa is committed to being part of international efforts aimed at reviving a political process that will lead to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state existing side-by-side in peace with Israel, and within internationally recognized borders.

“The two-state solution remains the most viable option for the peoples of Israel and Palestine, and must continue to be supported.”

Russia and Ukraine:

South Africa abstained in a vote in the United Nations General Assembly on the resolution condemning the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, and demanding their withdrawal.

The South African government has explained that it enjoys good relations with both Russia and the Ukraine; hence it abstained in the UN General Assembly vote condemning the Russian invasion.

President Cyril Ramaphosa subsequently said South Africa abstained – explained further in a note from DIRCO on On 3 March 2022 saying that a Russian military invasion of Ukraine is currently unfolding and has left many Ukrainian civilians and military recruits dead and hundreds wounded.

“That conflict should be subjected to mediation, negotiation [and] engagement. It is not necessary for people to go to war and have people getting killed, and infrastructure getting damaged.

“Countries of the world, particularly the United Nations [UN] Security Council should be getting more engaged in a mediation process. This is what I believe should happen to bring the hostilities to an end,” he said.

President Ramaphosa said government was expected to have discussions with Russia and the United States of America in an effort to curb the violence. He called on the UN Security Council to resolve the conflict.

“I call upon the UN Security to do their mediation work. If ever there was a time in the world where the UN Security Council needs to come into its own, this is the time where they must put their heads together and ensure that this war stops,” President Ramaphosa said.

On 2 March 2022 the UN General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly adopted a resolution that “demands” Russia “immediately” withdraw from Ukraine. South Africa was one of 35 countries that abstained from voting.

In a statement, South Africa’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Mathu Joyini, explained:

“South Africa remains deeply concerned by the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and the regional and international socio-economic implications. We strongly urge all sides to uphold international law, including humanitarian law and human rights law, as well as the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The conflict involves two members of the United Nations in an armed conflict, which this organisation has at its foundation the responsibility to prevent. The UN, therefore, must take decisions and actions that will lead to a constructive outcome conducive to the creation of sustainable peace between the parties.

“The resolution that we have considered today does not create an environment conducive for diplomacy, dialogue, and mediation. While we agree with, and support the efforts taken by Member States to bring to the attention of the international community the situation in Ukraine, South Africa feels that greater attention should have been paid to bringing the sides closer to dialogue. For South Africa, the text in its current form could drive a deeper wedge between the parties rather than contributing to a resolution of the conflict.

“The resolution should have welcomed the commencement of negotiations between the parties. Additionally, the role of the Security Council as well as the Good Offices of the UN Secretary-General could have been given more prominence in the resolution.”

“It is understood that one of the root causes of the conflict is related to the security concerns of the parties. This should have been addressed in the resolution.

“Even though this Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly is being held after the failure of the Security Council to address the matter, we believe that the Security Council should still be urged to play its role as mandated by the Charter to maintain international peace and security.

“South Africa believes that the UN, especially in the context of Emergency Special Sessions, whose nature and significance speak to the gravity of issues we bring before the international community,

should be used as a platform to build bridges, address the divergence of views, provide recommendations and support for the parties to engage with the spirit of compromise, while deescalating tensions, committing to the cessation of hostilities and building trust and confidence.

“Unfortunately, the text before us does not do that.

“South Africa would have also preferred an open and transparent process to negotiate the resolution today. This would have allowed all of us, as equal members of the Assembly, to present our views and ideally reach a level of understanding before the text was tabled.

“As member states of the organisation committed to global peace and development, we must continue to work together to promote peace. Gestures that merely create the impression of promoting peace without meaningful action will not assist.”

Ukraine War
Ukraine War. Photo: Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

Myanmar:

On 12 January 2007, just a few days after taking its seat for the first time on the United Nations (UN) Security Council, South Africa voted against a resolution calling on Myanmar’s government to cease military attacks against civilians in ethnic minority regions.

Pretoria’s vote against human rights shocked many South Africans and foreign observers who felt it had betrayed the human rights-first foreign policy legacy of Nelson Mandela. The government offered several rather tortured justifications for its surprising vote.

The in an apparent about turn on 01 February 2021 South Africa condemned the detention of leaders in Myanmar saying:

“The Government of the Republic of South Africa has noted with serious concern the detention of the State Counsellor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders on the eve of the opening session of Myanmar’s Parliament and calls for her immediate release and a return to the rule of law.

These developments undermine democratic reforms undertaken in Myanmar, following the general elections held on 08 November 2020, and we call upon the military to respect the rule of law.

South Africa firmly believes that political differences should be resolved through peaceful and inclusive dialogue.

South Africa will continue to support the people of Myanmar in their pursuit of democracy, peace, human rights and rule of law.

South Sudan:

In answer to a published in internal question paper no: 2-2014 of 27 June 2014 by Mr S Mokgalapa (DA) who asked the Minister Of International Relations and Cooperation; “What is the Government’s role in the South Sudanese peace talks?”

the reply was as follows: “Following separate requests from President Salva Kiir and the leader of the SPLM-in-Opposition Dr Riek Machar to assist and facilitate dialogue in the current conflict in South Sudan, President Jacob Zuma appointed Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as Special Envoy for South Sudan. The Special Envoy has started in earnest with his assignment to the extent that he has visited South Sudan and neighbouring countries on two occasions for consultations with the President, Mr. Salva Kiir and the Leader of the SPLM-in- Opposition, Mr Riek Machar as well as a number of other stakeholders in South Sudan and regional leaders. His engagement is aimed not only at facilitating political dialogue between President Kiir and Dr. Machar, but also at complementing the regional conflict resolution and mediation efforts under the leadership of the relevant Regional Economic Community, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and other international efforts. The South African Government, through the Special Envoy, plans to continue these engagements in pursuit of a negotiated and peaceful resolution of the current conflict in South Sudan.”

Yemen:

In a statement released on 7 December 2017 the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said; “The South African Government calls for statesmanship by all parties to the conflict as they deal with the aftermath of the late former President Saleh’s death. South Africa maintains that there is no military way out of the conflict in Yemen. The only sustainable resolution will be a negotiated, inclusive, fair political settlement, which puts the interests and well-being of the 25 million citizens of Yemen first.”

And concluded by saying; “South Africa stands ready to assist Yemen in any way within its means to find lasting peace and prosperity.”

BUT, despite the above South Africa was condemned for profiting from the war with reports from many media outlets like Al Jazeera saying:

South Africa has repeatedly expressed concern about the humanitarian suffering in Yemen. At international forums, South African officials have urged all parties to respect international law and to find a solution to the conflict. Yet, at the same time, the South African state has hypocritically given the green light to arms companies to sell weapons to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, two of the main parties accused of committing war crimes in Yemen.

Open Secrets’ new investigative report, Profiting from misery – South Africa’s complicity in war crimes in Yemen, reveals that since the war in Yemen began, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have become the key market for South African weapons. In 2013, a little more than 3 percent of South African weapons exports went to these two states. In 2015 and 2016, this was up to 42.1 and 48.9 percent, respectively. Since the war in Yemen broke out, South African weapons worth more than 8 billion Rand ($550m) had been sold to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Libya:

A statement from The Presidency dated 3 April 2011 states:

“South Africa’s position on Libya is clear and unambiguous.

As a member of the African Union, South Africa is committed to the position of the AU Peace and Security Council which reaffirmed Africa’s strong commitment to the respect of the unity and territorial integrity of Libya.

President Jacob Zuma has called for an immediate ceasefire in Libya and an end to the attacks on civilians. He also stated that only a peaceful solution, based on the will of the people, will guarantee long-term stability in Libya. The President is part of the Ad-hoc High?Level Committee on Libya, comprising five Heads of State and Government, who have been tasked with finding a political solution to the Libyan crisis. South Africa remains committed to working within the ambit of the AU to find a lasting political solution to the Libyan crisis.

Other than responsibilities as a member of the African Union, South Africa also has strong historical ties with Libya forged during the liberation struggle. It is for this reason that we stated that Resolution 1973 should not be abused, and should be implemented in letter and spirit to protect Libyan civilians and not to advance other objectives. President Zuma has spoken out unambiguously against the killing of civilians in Libya and reaffirmed the country’s rejection of regime change and the foreign occupation of Libya.”

Fast forward to Wednesday, 23 February 2022 when Parliament stated:

“The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation today received a briefing from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation on the current political dynamics in Libya in the context of that country’s upcoming elections.

The committee heard that at the height of the conflict in Libya in 2011, South Africa was concerned about the safety and security of its staff and moved its mission to neighbouring Tunisia as a temporary measure. Since then, South Africa has called for a political solution to the crisis in Libya as the only sustainable way for peace to be achieved.

The committee heard that the Libyan elections scheduled to take place on 24 December 2021 did not happen, amidst fears of political instability and violence. Whilst South Africa supports the African Union’s (AU) Peace and Security Council’s ongoing efforts, it has consistently called for the AU to remain focussed on the Libyan conflict with a view towards ensuring the attainment of an unwavering political command in the interest of all Libyans.

South Africa is also a member of the AU High Level Committee on Libya. The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Supra Mahumapelo, said: “Given our history and the subsequent struggle to attain our democracy, we call on South Africa to play a more active role in assisting the people of Libya to achieve free and fair elections and to ultimately establish peace and a democratic dispensation that will benefit all the people of Libya.”

Afghanistan:

On the 17 August 2021 the South African Government reacted to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan saying:

“The South African Government has taken note of the unfolding situation in Afghanistan and is particularly concerned by the plight of thousands of displaced Afghani’s seeking safety and security amid the deepening crisis in Afghanistan.

The South African Government calls on the authority in power to ensure that the rule of law, human rights and safety of all Afghans and foreign nationals alike are protected. We wish to appeal to all military and security groups to exercise the utmost restraint and protect the lives and property of the people.

The South African Government furthermore encourages all Afghan parties involved in the internal conflict to ceaselessly search for a solution through dialogue, restoration of stability and an orderly transition to a new government.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation have established, via the South African High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan that they are in contact with a number of South African nationals based in Afghanistan to ensure their safety and provide the necessary consular assistance.”

Iraq:

On 3 January 2020 South Africa called for calm in Iraq saying:

The South African Government is alarmed by the escalating tension in Iraq, which has far reaching ramifications not only for the Middle East region, but also for international peace and security.

South Africa recalls and reaffirms the statement of the United Nations Security Council issued on 13 December 2019, in which the members of the Security Council had “called for maximum restraint and urged all to refrain from violence or the destruction of critical infrastructure”

Responding to these developments, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, stated: “It is crucial for all sides to remain calm and desist from taking any further action that will exacerbate the already fragile situation. South Africa emphasises its principled view that conflicts should be resolved through political dialogue rather than resorting to the use of force”.

South Africa reiterates the UN Security Council’s support for the “independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and prosperity of Iraq”.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.