South Africa won’t keep quiet about Venezuela out of fear of the US – Lamola

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has argued that South Africa must ‘continue to stand by its principles’, despite its fragile relationship with the United States.

This comes after American forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following what US President Donald Trump described as a large-scale US military operation in Venezuela.

Following Maduro’s capture, South Africa condemned the military operation, with its Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) arguing that these actions “manifest a violation of the Charter of the United Nations.”

It comes at a time when tensions between Pretoria and Washington are at an all-time high.

However, Lamola argues that this will not cause South Africa to bite its tongue in fear of antagonising the United States and deepening the rift between the two countries.

“Obviously, it’s unpredictable with us, but South Africa has to continue to stand on the side of principle,” Lamola said at an ANC event in Rustenburg on 5 January.

“International solidarity and collective action are what have brought stability to the world since the Second World War. We can’t be back in a period after the First World War, where there were no rules based on international law.”

Maduro’s capture comes after years of US pressure on Venezuela, including sanctions, maritime interdictions linked to alleged drug trafficking, and a heightened US military presence in the Caribbean.

The Trump administration has previously accused the Maduro government of operating a narco-terrorist state.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government.”

South African parties weigh in

The African National Congress (ANC) has publicly condemned the action, saying that these actions “manifest a violation of the Charter of the United Nations.”

On the other hand, the leader of the Freedom Front Plus (FF+), Dr Corné Mulder, whose party is part of the GNU, posted to the social media platform X that this strong condemnation from DIRCO and the “ANC minister” was expected.

“It will be done in all of our names, but it will not represent our views. The end of the socialist failure in Venezuela should be welcomed,” he said.

Outside of the GNU, both the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) condemned the military action.

The EFF called the intervention the “most blatant act of imperial aggression in the Western Hemisphere in decades.”

The MK Party called the action a “new kind of colonialism.” The MK Party said it rejects the US narrative that the military attack constitutes “law enforcement” or “anti-narcotics operations.”

Instead, it illustrates “with brutal clarity, the true nature of Washington’s foreign policy: militarised coercion in the service of resource control and imperial domination.”