Whoever paid for the visit by representatives of the ANC Youth League to observe the sham Russian referendums, it is a reprehensible move. If it was Russia, it means the ANC has no problem being used as a Russian puppet; if the ANC paid, it would mean the governing party feels no shame in forking out thousands for some vanity project while their own staff remain unpaid; and if the SA taxpayer paid, that would be in direct violation of the state foreign policy. The DA means to find out. See more below. Article was first published on Politicsweb. – Sandra Laurence
Who paid for ANCYL to ‘observe’ Russian referendums? – Darren Bergman
By Darren Bergman*
The African National Congress’ Youth League (ANCYL) has committed a serious breach of international law by sending “observers” to witness a series of Russian referendums to somehow give legitimacy to the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory by the Russian military.
In doing so, the ANCYL is not only lending official credibility to these sham polls, but seemingly carrying the full weight and backing of South Africa’s governing party, giving a blank cheque to other pariah nations and governments to annex whatever territory they please, knowing they will have the support of the ANC-led South African government.
This is both a flagrant disregard for international law, and a violation of South Africa’s very own constitution. It is also in direct conflict with the ANC-led national government’s official response to the conflict, which states that South Africa is non-aligned, and supports dialogue to resolve what is nothing more than a Russian attack on the sovereignty of a neighbouring country.
The DA is calling on the ANC to clearly state who paid for the trip of the ANC Youth League members to “observe” the voting in polling stations in the Ukrainian territories that the Russian military has conquered. There are three possible answers – all three equally egregious:
1. The Russians paid, meaning that the ANC will willingly flout international law and South African constitutionalism to be bought as Russian puppets;
2. The ANC paid, meaning that the governing party will fork out hundreds of thousands to observe sham referendums in Europe while their staff remain unpaid; or
3. The South Africa taxpayer paid, meaning that the ANC is abusing state resources to embark on international trips which are in direct violation of the state foreign policy.
South Africans have the right to know who funded this trip that is widely regarded as a complete sham and a legitimisation of Russia’s forceful and bloody invasion of Ukraine.
If the ANC does not come clean and reveal who funded this trip, the DA will launch its own investigation to get the facts. We cannot allow the ANC to bulldoze through the Constitution and our international commitments to turn South Africa into a global pariah state.
- Darren Bergman is the DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.
Read also:
- From Russia with very expensive love – Karyn Maughan on SA’s bombed nuclear deal
- ANC may have struck a secret deal with Putin – SU researcher Dzvinka Kachur
- The price of ANC-Russian loyalty – Katzenellenbogen
