By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has heaped praise on the Asian leader, China, who will also be in South Africa for the BRICS summit.
Mbalula was speaking at the Chinese embassy in Tshwane on Friday, ahead of the 15th annual BRICS Summit in Sandton next week.
BRICS countries (namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) account for more than 40% of the global population and about 26% of the global economy.
South Africa has been under international pressure to act against Russia amid the war between its fellow BRICS member and Ukraine.
The pressure mounted after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant of arrest for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently confirmed he won’t physically attend the gathering.
Reports of South Africa transporting arms to Russia on the Russian ship ‘Lady R’ in December strained relations with the United States, months before the expiration of the African Growth and Opportunity Act deal which gives South Africa preferential access.
Mbalula said the ANC remains committed to ideals of non-alliance, anti-colonialism, and anti-imperialism, reiterating that the party believes conflicts should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
“The geopolitical challenges that continue to redefine our world can learn a lot from the China-South Africa relations. Our understanding of geopolitics is not informed by mere idealism on the world but that global peace itself can be guaranteed by stability in the balance of power.
“Our observation is that a multipolar world may, as a result, serve best the objectives of world peace and global security of all nations,” Mbalula said.
A New World
He added that the 25-year relationship between the two countries, which has not gone without its own challenges, demonstrated the possibility of a working relationship between two countries with different government systems.
Mbalula said BRICS would help usher in a new world of multilateralism instead of unilateralism and that the ANC welcomes the geopolitical shifts from a unipolar world to a multipolar one.
“Dialogue premised on multilateralism will help resolve various conflicts – not only those pertaining Russia-Ukraine but also the South China Seas, Western Sahara, Israel and Palestine, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, and many more.
“Multilateralism will also be an appropriate abitur in economic and trade matters as opposed to the unilateral blockades against countries such as Cuba, Zimbabwe, Iran, North Korea, and so on.”
BRICS is not the enemy
More than 20 countries have formerly applied to the BRICS bloc, which has been perceived to threaten the dominance of the West.
Mbalula said South Africa cherishes its BRICS membership, which he says is a platform that enabled the realisation of the global aspiration where countries compete on the basis of their natural and human resources.
“BRICS is not an enemy of any country, or any constellation of countries, but rather an example of how the entire world could relate in solidarity underpinned by progressive social, economic, political principles.”
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