The Democratic Alliance (DA) condemns the legitimisation of strong man politics by International Relations and Co-operations Minister, Naledi Pandor, in her recent responses to parliamentary questions posed by the DA on the issue of Zimbabwe.
In her response she stated that “[our] stance toward Zimbabwe’s economic sanctions is primarily guided by the position of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as well as the African Union (AU) position which calls for immediate lifting of the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States of America and the European Union”. This totally negates the human rights based foreign policy approach that has been adopted by the Department of International Relations and Co-operations in recent history.
Furthermore, she went onto say that “South Africa’s developmental aspirations and future are inextricably linked to that of the Southern African region, as such South Africa unequivocally stand in solidarity with all SADC member states including Zimbabwe”. This is an explicit admission that Minister Pandor is not interested in the fact that daily abuses of power such as violence towards civilians, suppression of the independent press and electoral fraud are meted out by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
As a result, it appears that South Africa’s foreign policy is underpinned by hostility to property rights and in favour of crony state economy and violent repression. This should not be the case as South Africa’s constitution is underpinned by the rule of law and democracy. Most disturbingly, it signifies an intent by the Minister to adopt an approach that is more favourable towards the National Democratic Revolution as opposed to the National Development Plan – which is in clear contradiction of national policy.
The DA will not standby whilst the government throws its lot in with the strong men of continental politics rather we will continue to pursue an economic agenda that places human rights at the core of our policy offer. The DA believes that South Africa and Africa needs strong institutions to support democracy underpinned by the rule of law, not strong men arbitrarily creating and applying laws to suit their personal agendas or facilitate corruption and repression. This is crucial in us restoring our image as a beacon of light to the rest of the developing world.