International relations and co-operation minister Naledi Pandor has objected to an “absolutely disgraceful” bill adopted by the US House of Representatives which will oblige it to punish African governments that aid Russia’s “malign” activities on the continent.
She said Thursday in the National Council of Provinces where she was answering questions from MPs that SA would fight the bill as far as it could. Pandor suggested the bill was proposed in response to the abstention of many African countries on a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Seventeen of Africa’s 54 countries abstained, including SA.
The Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Bill was passed the House of Representatives on April 27 by a bipartisan 419-9 majority. It would direct the US secretary of state “to develop and submit to congress a strategy and plan outlining US efforts to counter the malign influence and activities of the Russian Federation and its proxies in Africa”. This would include the use of US foreign aid programmes.
The malign activities referred to in the bill relate to those that “undermine US objectives and interests”. Democratic congressman Gregory Weldon Meeks, chair of the house foreign affairs committee who introduced the bill, said it was designed to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to “pilfer, manipulate and exploit resources in parts of Africa to evade sanctions and undermine US interests” and to finance his war in Ukraine.
The bill also aims to thwart Russian efforts to “invest in, engage, or otherwise control strategic sectors in Africa, such as mining and other forms of natural resource extraction and exploitation, military basing and other security co-operation agreements, and information and communications technology”.
Pandor said the bill was most unfortunate.
“We have pointed out our concern if this bill should become law. It is currently in the Senate. I have arranged that I will meet the chair of the foreign relations committee of the US when I am in the US next month in order to indicate our concerns. I will also meet other members of the foreign relations committee. I would also expect the MPs of SA to indicate their own displeasure because to have a piece of legislation that seeks to blackmail any continent in the world is absolutely disgraceful.
“I think we should not be gentle when we speak about this particular draft bill that has come out of the House of Representatives.”
Pandor said it was “absolutely shocking” that any country could propose such a piece of legislation if a country abstained in the UN whose charter provides for abstention as did any voting system in any institution worth its weight worldwide.
She said it was threatening and fell outside the UN charter. “It is something which we are going to fight as far as we can.”
Several questions dealt with SA’s approach to the Russian/Ukraine conflict with Pandor emphasising that she had never used the word neutral to describe SA’s position which urged negotiations to end the conflict.
“We are not neutral. We abhor war. We believe war does great harm. We don’t support invasion of the territorial integrity of any country by any other UN member. That is not neutrality. We believe that there should be negotiations,” she said.
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