President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President Paul Mashatile met with the leaders of the government of national unity (GNU) on Monday, 3 November 2025. Just days into the new year, members of the government of national unity (GNU) are already at each other’s throats – this time over South Africa’s response to the political tensions between the United States (US) and Venezuela. DA spokesperson on international relations, Ryan Smith, says South Africa appears to have deviated from its non-aligned posture in instances of international conflict.
Smith criticised the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) for calling for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) following the apprehension of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US law enforcement. “Dirco failed to take a similar stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This exposes the politically selective and hypocritical means in which the ANC conducts South Africa’s diplomatic relations on the international stage.
“Diplomacy cannot be built on contradictions and inconsistencies. In the context of the situation in Venezuela, the ANC has again decided to pursue its entrenched party-political interests in our foreign policy by referring the USA 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 said. Smith said the ANC has adopted a two-faced approach to South Africa’s foreign policy, prioritising its own party interests over South Africa’s.
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“This is a gross betrayal of the values and principles enshrined in the South African constitution. The ANC cannot expect South Africa to be taken seriously by this recent appeal to the UNSC when it continues to position itself as a ‘mediator’ in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The DA strongly opposes Dirco being politicised to pursue party political interests instead of pursuing foreign policy in the national interest.
“This approach has rendered South Africa an inconsistent, unreliable, and unserious player on the international stage,” he said. Smith said the ANC no longer holds a political majority and cannot continue to show diplomatic “hypocrisy” and the “selective application of international law” in South Africa’s international engagements.
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