Johannesburg - ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has reiterated that South Africa’s solidarity and long-standing friendship with the Republic of Cuba will remain, irrespective of the US’s unrelenting embargo on the Caribbean country.
Mbalula was speaking during a high-level visit by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and his delegation to the country and a visit to Freedom Park yesterday.
With the 15th BRICS Summit taking place in Sandton this week, Mbalula said the visit by the Cuban delegation came at a crucial point, as the world was undergoing significant geopolitical changes and a number of countries were knocking on the door to join the BRICS nations.
He also took the opportunity to weigh in on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which he said related to geopolitical reconfigurations.
“Our position and message on that conflict (Russia and Ukraine) have been simple and straightforward: that we are non-aligned and anti-war. We even resolved at our 55th conference as the ANC that this can no longer be described simply as a war between Russia and Ukraine, but primarily as a conflict between the US, Nato and Russia in pursuit of the objections of the so-called ‘Wolfowitz doctrine’.”
He said according to the doctrine, the US would not allow any country in the world to have the possibility in the post-Cold War period to challenge US interests, especially its hegemony.
As a result of this, he said the US geopolitical strategy had identified China and Russia as the two powers that must be contained in line with this doctrine.
“The ANC conference resolutions are what made the US ambassador lie about our country and say that we gave weapons to Russia. How can we give weapons to Russia when it is they who must give us weapons? It was proven we did not give them weapons, and we don’t understand why this man is still in South Africa.
“Because you all defend Cuba, this is why Cuba is so beautiful. You can’t imagine how much energy you are instilling in us with those beautiful songs and powerful voices.”
He said the ANC believed in the peaceful resolution of conflicts, having learnt from the devastation of all other wars, including the world wars.
The Star