The ANC’s foreign policy has been centred around morality and human rights since it came to power in 1994. Due to the party’s past associations, they defended their diplomatic relations with known adversaries of the US, such as China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and Libya, citing that these countries supported them during the liberation movement. Fair enough.
Africa’s oldest liberation party, the ANC, has always ignored the gross human violations perpetrated by its international allies against its own citizens.
In countries like Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe, Russia, Sri Lanka, China, Myanmar and Iran, to name but a few, South Africa’s human rights posture has been exposed in the international arena. It has largely been marred by inconsistencies, contradictions and confusion even among the political actors at the government level.
The countries named above are known for their authoritarianism with zero culture of accountability. Surely, this does not augur well for the quality of the political leadership for the future of this country.
The ill-advised decision to drag Israel to the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) further exposed the deepened contradiction of South Africa’s foreign policy trajectory. South Africa’s justification for such a bad decision was that there was a genocide committed by Israel in Gaza.
There was a diplomatic standoff between the ANC and Israel for a couple of years, which became worse under President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration, which seemingly failed to steer the country’s foreign policy to stimulate investments, innovation, trade, technology and other aspects of development.
It was quite obvious that the US would be discontent with such a decision against Israel by South Africa. It should be remembered that South Africa had been voting against the US’s national interest in the UN resolutions; this tension had long been brewing.
It is both surprising and concerning that the ANC treats countries such as Iran with kid gloves without looking at the extent of atrocities that they are causing to humanity.
It is the inconsistencies that we have seen recently during the Iranian regime’s deadly and bloody response towards the protesters, where the South African government did not dare to condemn the killings of more than 3,000 innocent protesters and the arrest of more than 28,000. In a statement which they released after the political pressure from their coalition partner, the DA, the department of international relations and co-operation (Dirco), which is under the ANC’s Ronald Lamola, released a hollow and empty statement which encouraged parties to engage in dialogue.
Given the growing multipolarity of the global order, South Africa’s foreign policy should prioritise national, regional, and continental interests rather than engage in unnecessary diplomatic standoffs with the US and its strategic allies.
It is both surprising and concerning that the ANC treats countries such as Iran with kid gloves without looking at the extent of atrocities that they are causing to humanity. The same kind of energy which they used to pursue Israel during the war with Hamas should also be used to stop the totalitarian regime of Ali Khamenei from killing innocent protesters who are taking a stance against the corrupt, brutal regime which has collapsed the once-beautiful country.
We should learn from authoritarian regimes that they want a culture in which they thrive in the absence of accountability. This is the new culture within the ANC where corruption, cronyism and patronage is responsible for the declining electoral might of the party. It is easy for the ANC to see these authoritarian regimes as natural allies because they are not used to being held accountable for their deeds.
Just like the rest of the world, the ANC saw the international headlines where Iran was reported to have killed hundreds of its citizens, but they continued to cosy up with the tyrannical Iran in the naval drills held recently at South Africa’s naval base in Simon’s Town, Cape Town. This is taking place when the Congress is yet to decide on the fate of the much-talked-about African Growth and Opportunity Act (A), which has been renewed, and everybody is concerned about the inclusion or exclusion of Pretoria.
Given the growing multipolarity of the global order, South Africa’s foreign policy should prioritise national, regional, and continental interests rather than engage in unnecessary diplomatic standoffs with the US and its strategic allies.
As the largest economy in the region, South Africa has a responsibility to help build and strengthen other African economies by promoting stability and peace in countries such as the DRC, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Mozambique, Somalia and Ethiopia, many of which are currently grappling with terrorism or protracted civil conflicts.
Kenneth Kgwadi is a political analyst and researcher.
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