A Venezuela-style operation on the continent is unlikely, but South Africa is still concerned about United States international behaviour. However, a caution is raised regarding Africa’s historical susceptibility to Washington-backed regime-change tactics. “I don’t foresee that the U.S.
can execute a Venezuelan military style against South Africa,” according to political analyst and international relations expert Dr Gideon Chitanga. In a risky operation that has infuriated people worldwide, U.S. military forces apprehended President Nicolás Maduro and his wife over the weekend and transported them to the U.S to face criminal charges.
He cited Libya as a warning example and stated that the U.S. has frequently used non-military means to weaken governments it does not support, such as economic pressure, political discrediting, and destabilisation. South Africa’s democratic legitimacy, he said, remains its strongest shield.
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Pretoria and Washington have been trading barbed wire in recent months amid escalating foreign relations. “The South African government is a legitimately elected government, so it’s incumbent is not disputed,” Chitanga said, warning that any unilateral U.S. action in Africa would severely damage Washington’s standing.
“It would entirely discredit the U.S. as a serious government that at least upholds some semblance of international law,” he said. Chitanga warns that economic pressure posed the biggest risk for Pretoria, even though the Venezuelan-military style seems implausible.
He warns that Washington could use its financial clout to weaken the South African state, with dire repercussions for common people. He called the genocide narrative propagated by the United States against South Africa “reckless” and “destabilizing.”
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