SA abstained from voting on Wednesday as the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution rebuking Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.
The resolution, which aims to isolate Russia politically, also called on Moscow to immediately withdraw all its forces from that country.
The resolution, which won support from 141 of the 193-member body, came at the end of a rare emergency session of the General Assembly called by the Security Council and as Russian forces pounded Ukraine’s cities with air strikes and bombardments, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
A statement released by the government on Wednesday evening confirmed the country abstained.
“The resolution that we have considered today does not create an environment conducive for diplomacy, dialogue and mediation,” the statement from the department of international relations & co-operation, delivered by SA permanent representative to the UN ambassador Mathu Joyini, said.
The department said SA was “deeply concerned” by the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and its regional and international socioeconomic implications. “We strongly urge all sides to uphold international law ... as well as the principles of the UN charter.”
SA, the department said, felt that more attention should have been paid to bring the sides closer to dialogue. Instead, the resolution could drive “a deeper wedge between the two warring sides.
“It is understood that one of the root causes of the conflict is related to the security concerns of the parties. These should have been addressed in the resolution,” the department said.
It also took issue with the way the resolution was drafted. “SA would have also preferred an open and transparent process to negotiate the resolution today. This would have allowed all of us as equal members of the assembly, to present our views and reach a level of understanding before the text was tabled.”
Earlier on Wednesday, deputy minister of international relations & co-operation Candith Mashego-Dlamini told MPs during a question-and-answer session that SA cannot take sides in the conflict.
Taking sides would go against the country’s principles, she said.
She said SA has good bilateral relations with both Russia and Ukraine and therefore it “will be unwise to take a position that could compromise the bilateral relations”, indicating that Africa’s most industrialised country will stick to its “neutral” stance and not condemn Russia’s actions.
This despite EU diplomats lobbying officials at the department of international relations to join them in condemning Russia.
SA’s ambassador to the UN, Mathu Joyini, also insisted the country will continue to sit on the fence. Addressing the special emergency sitting of the General Assembly on Tuesday night, Joyini called for UN-mediated talks on the crisis.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, saying the step was necessary for the “demilitarisation and denazification” of its neighbour and former Soviet republic, echoing a theme of Kremlin propaganda on the discredited claim that the far right has a grip on the Kyiv government.
The resultant conflict has already caused hundreds of casualties, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced. The invasion has been condemned by many world leaders, with several countries in the West moving to impose heavy sanctions on Russia that threaten to collapse its economy.
But SA, which has close economic ties to Russia via Brics, has taken a softer stance — much to the chagrin of Western envoys. Brics is an association of five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and SA.
Mashego-Dlamini said there is no change in SA’s position “because we are continuing as a country calling for a peaceful resolution ... and we request all the parties to go on dialogue”.
She said while Brics states have also called for dialogue, the most appropriate and effective platform to deal with the matter is the UN as all members of the group are part of the global body.
“SA encourages all parties to approach dialogue with a spirit of compromise to move forward without accusing any party ... something that will not be helpful in resolving the conflict,” Mashego-Dlamini said.
IFP MP Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the sanctions imposed on Russia will have an effect on SA by virtue of the country’s close association via Brics. He asked what plans are in place to insulate SA in this regard and whether the Ramaphosa administration will also join the international community in imposing sanctions against Russia.
Mashego-Dlamini dodged the questions and highlighted that SA’s stance calls for a peaceful resolution.
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