South Africa: defenders of Ukraine lonely in the face of the neutrality displayed by their country
[Illustrative image] Members of the Ukrainian community in South Africa hold placards as they protest during a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Pretoria, January 23, 2023. AFP - -
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3 mins
In South Africa, defenders of the Ukrainian cause are struggling to mobilize in the face of the neutrality displayed by their government in the face of the war launched by Russia on February 24, 2022. South African authorities who once again abstained from voting for a United Nations resolution condemning the conflict in Ukraine.
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With our correspondent in Johannesburg,
Claire Bargelès
South Africa, since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has continued its historic strategy of non-alignment, refusing to condemn Moscow and abstaining again on February 23, 2023 in a vote on this conflict before the United Nations.
The country even recently received a visit from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and right now maritime military exercises are taking place off the East Coast, conducted jointly with Russia and China.
► To read also: In South African waters, naval maneuvers with Russia and China
Defenders of the Ukrainian cause in the country are therefore struggling to mobilize public opinion.
A few small rallies are planned across the country this week to condemn the war.
Anastasia Korpeso, from the Association of Ukrainians in South Africa, organized one in front of the Russian embassy in Pretoria.
"
As Desmond Tutu said, staying neutral in the face of an unfair situation is actually taking the side of the oppressor
," she says.
We are devastated by this position of South Africa, which in any case is no longer neutral at all
”.
“We are a bit caught between a rock and a hard place”
About fifty people made the trip.
And, among them, several South Africans came to mix their voices with the songs, including Freeman.
"
We, the people of Soweto and South Africa, have had a very difficult past
," he explains.
And we have seen how some people want to dominate other nations.
So, it is high time that we react and come here to support the Ukrainian cause
”.
But difficult to mobilize in a country where local problems, such as load shedding, take over.
Liberty failed to motivate many of her friends.
"
Several people consider that it is not their responsibility, and that we should rather worry first and foremost about the wars taking place in Africa, only then to worry about the outside," he believes
.
► To read also: South Africa: the state of national disaster declared in the face of the energy crisis
Thapelo continues his daily life without joining the demonstrations, and even understands the position of his government: "
Don't forget that South Africa belongs to the BRICS
[a group that brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa Sud, Editor's note]
, and must therefore support its allies there.
But since we also have significant trade with the European Union, we are somewhat caught between a rock and a hard place.
»
The African National Congress (ANC), the
ruling
party , still calls for dialogue and negotiations to end the war.
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