South Africa’s Venezuela stance is ‘diplomatic hypocrisy on display’ – DA

South Africa’s second-largest political party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has slammed the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (DIRCO’s) response to the capture and prosecution of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States (US).

The DA, a partner of the governing Government of National Unity (GNU), said that DIRCO’s call to urgently convene the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) “smacks of hypocrisy and contradiction.”

DA spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation, Ryan Smith, said that this is because “DIRCO failed to take a similar stance on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.”

“This exposes the politically selective and hypocritical means in which the African National Congress (ANC) conducts South Africa’s diplomatic relations on the international stage,” he added.

The South African Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation condemned the US operation in Venezuela, accusing Washington of violating the UN Charter.

“History has repeatedly demonstrated that military invasions against sovereign states yield only instability and deepening crisis,” said DIRCO.

“Unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations.”

In its submission to the UNSC, it said that “failure to act decisively against such violations is tantamount to inviting anarchy.”

With DIRCO sporting an ANC minister, Smith said, “the ANC has again decided to pursue its entrenched party-political interests in our foreign policy.”

Smith criticised the referral of the US to the UNSC “when no such appeal for intervention was ever made when Russian President, Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukraine and was found guilty of human rights abuses for child trafficking.”

He added that DIRCO cannot cite international law or claim that military invasions cause instability while ignoring Russia’s violation of Ukrainian sovereignty.

South Africa abstained from a 2022 UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to President Cyril Ramaphosa, this was because “the resolution did not foreground the call for meaningful engagement” between the two parties.

Smith said the ANC was pursuing a contradictory and self-serving foreign policy that undermines South Africa’s constitutional values and credibility.

“By politicising DIRCO and selectively applying international law, including on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ANC has made South Africa an inconsistent and unreliable international actor.”

While the ANC has not yet released an official statement on the matter, Deputy Secretary General Nomvula Mokoyane criticised parties that did not condemn the US.

Speaking to EWN, she said that “their view is ill-informed, a view that is minimalistic and does not look at a better world but an issue about self-interest.”

“Venezuela is a sovereign state, and the role of America against a sovereign state is not something you can easily say you don’t agree with the ANC on.”

The ANC is set to lay out its formal position on the matter in a briefing later today.

“The briefing forms part of the ANC’s principled tradition of international solidarity and its long-standing commitment to progressive internationalism, grounded in the values of self-determination, non-interference, and respect for the sovereignty of nations,” said the party.

The ANC–DA foreign policy clash

Tensions between the ANC and the DA over South Africa’s foreign policy have long been evident.

In February 2024, former DA international relations spokesperson Emma Powell led a delegation to the United States, which the party said aimed to provide US leaders with “fact-based insights” on South Africa’s domestic challenges.

The ANC, which controls DIRCO, accused the DA of spreading disinformation abroad and undermining South Africa’s diplomatic position.

Holding just over 30% of the GNU, the DA has advocated for engagement with “democratic nations and transparent diplomatic practices.”

In July, Powell resigned as DA international relations spokesperson, citing the complexities of the GNU and her belief that she had achieved what she could in the moment.

Her tenure had been marked by clashes with ANC-led DIRCO over positions on Taiwan, Russia, and MTN’s Iran ties.

The Presidency and DIRCO accused Powell of running “disinformation campaigns,” while the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition claimed she undercut sensitive US trade negotiations.

Powell countered that she faced harassment and surveillance for “defending constitutional values and exposing the ANC’s relationships with authoritarian regimes.”