ACTIONSA on Thursday criticized the South African government for declining to support the United Nations (UN) resolution against Russia, warning that the war will result in the suffering of millions of innocent people on all sides of the conflict.
On Wednesday the UN General Assembly voted on a resolution demanding Russia stop its war against Ukraine.
South Africa chose to abstain from voting, joining a list of just 39 nations that opposed or abstained in the vote.
141 out of 193 UN member States voted for the non-binding resolution. Five countries voted against the resolution.
ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said that the unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine is a clear violation of the international legal principle of territorial sovereignty.
“The refusal to denounce this war places South Africa on the wrong side of history together with a list of countries known for their human rights violations and disdain for democratic and free-market principles, including China, Cuba and North Korea,” he said.
He added that the country’s refusal to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the latest example of how foreign policy under the African National Congress (ANC) government has departed from human rights principles.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) weighed in, saying this was an opportune time for government to take a clear and moral stand that would gain them ground.
It was also the right thing to do, said DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Darren Bergman.
“It is unbelievable that South Africa can have double standards when it comes to human rights and this takes away the last of their claim to moral legitimacy. Abstaining or voting for Russia is a sign that one is complicit or condones a military invasion into Ukraine,” he said.
ActionSA urged all South Africans to stand against the ANC and join the law-abiding and peace-loving citizens of the world in condemning the actions of the Russian government.
- – Additional reporting by local agencies.
