A ‘Russian love affair’: Why South Africa stays ‘neutral’ on war

South Africa’s public stance of neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war has been at variance with its decades-long relationship with Moscow. Why is that so?

Cape Town, South Africa – In April, a delegation of senior officials of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) undertook what the party said was an invitation from “a long-standing ally”, Russia’s ruling party. It travelled to Moscow to discuss what the ANC said was the “recalibration of the global order”. Among the delegation was Deputy Foreign Minister Alvin Botes.

This month, army chief Lawrence Mbatha was also in Moscow on the invitation of Oleg Salyukov, commander-in-chief of Russia’s ground forces, who described it as a “goodwill visit”. State security minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni is also to visit Russia in a few days, ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa as part of an African leaders’ peace mission to Russia and Ukraine.

The flurry of high-profile visits has come even as South Africa insists publicly that it is neutral in the war between Russia and Ukraine despite longstanding ties with Moscow.

And now, ahead of the BRICS summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in August, the extent of that neutrality will be put to the test.

In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin for forced deportations of children from Ukraine to Russia.

South Africa, a signatory to the ICC, is mandated to execute the warrant if Putin sets foot in the country. The Russian leader has indicated that he will indeed attend, laying the scene for a dramatic diplomatic dilemma.

Indeed, Pretoria has said it is assessing its legal options, including immunity for visiting officials.

“We will explore various options with regard to how the Rome Statute [ICC’s founding treaty] was domesticated in our country including the option to look at extending customary diplomatic immunity to visiting heads of state in our country,” Lamola told parliament on May 2.

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has already said it is unlikely that Putin will be arrested, echoing sentiments within the ruling party. In April, Ramaphosa said the country was considering withdrawing from the ICC; hours later, his office denied that, saying the stance arose from a communications error.

In 2015, South Africa failed to arrest then-Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, who was also the subject of an ICC warrant. But this time, things are slightly different because of what might seem to be an inscrutable relationship between Pretoria and Moscow.

For years, the relationship between South Africa and Russia has baffled pundits and governments in the West.

There are no cultural or linguistic ties between the two countries.

Russia is also not a major trading partner for South Africa; the United States, United Kingdom and European Union account for more than a third of South Africa’s imports while Russia accounts for approximately 0.4 percent.

In October, South Africa abstained, like many other African countries, in a United Nations General Assembly vote condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine which began in February 2022; there were 143 votes in favour of the resolution. At the time, the South African ambassador said the country “must stand in seeking peace”.

One explanation being bandied about for South Africa’s seeming reluctance to criticise Russia is that its policymakers are keen to see a more multilateral world in which Africa, as well as Asia, get more control on the global stage, including seats on the UN Security Council.

“We don’t want a hegemonic US but that is to make the world fairer,” said Oscar van Heerden, a Johannesburg-based international relations expert. “We are rational international actors, and we can see what is happening in the global space. It is not romanticism … there is a need for change in the global order.”

Pretoria’s bias towards Moscow or the “irrational Russian love affair” as Kobus Marais, shadow defence minister and member of South Africa’s leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance has described it, are also traceable to the ANC’s roots.

Formed in 1912, the ANC was a liberation movement  – Africa’s oldest – fighting against white minority rule in South Africa. At the height of the Cold War, it relied heavily on support from the Soviet Union.

Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s former ambassador to the US, told Al Jazeera the movement received “no warmth from the West, and the USSR was the only ally that would give the party time of day”.

The Soviet Union provided the ANC with much-needed and substantial financial and other support when no one else was willing to do so.

According to the Russian historian Irina Filatov, the Soviets supported the ANC’s armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, in the 1960s “with arms, ammunition and equipment and gave military training to its cadres and leadership”.

“No other country rendered such support to the ANC,” she wrote.

Zwelinzima Ndevu, professor of public leadership at Stellenbosch University, agreed.

The Soviet Union “held the ANC during the dark days of apartheid … in terms of financial help and also with training,” he told Al Jazeera. “Now in 2023, the relationship is still there, and this is why the country is standing on the fence on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.”

But the relationship is a complicated one, some say.

In 2014, during the presidency of Jacob Zuma, a deal for a $100bn nuclear power plant with Russia was concluded. Three years later, a local court order blocked the deal.

The opposition and civil society argued that the deal was an attempt to grant Russia influence in Africa. Zuma, an ANC veteran, was a member of the Umkhonto we Sizwe and intelligence chief for the movement before the end of apartheid and had long-standing networks in Moscow.

“We were suspicious of why he [Zuma] wanted the deal signed,” Rasool said. “We knew something was amiss; there was an attempt to get us into the kleptocracy.”

Even today, Russia seems to have forced South Africa’s hand, analysts say.

Van Heerden told Al Jazeera that the April visit to Moscow was to engage and “get the Russians to understand the dilemma the country is in” and perhaps appeal that Russia sends another senior politician in Putin’s stead.

Indeed, after that visit, Obed Bapela, another of Ramaphosa’s ministers said Russia’s ruling party made it clear that “the arrest of Putin in South Africa will be a declaration of war”.

South Africa’s noncommital stance is already causing friction with one of its biggest political and trading partners, the US.

In May, its ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigetty, accused the country of arming Russia, charging that weapons were loaded onto a Russian commercial vessel, the Lady R, docked at a naval base in Simon’s Town,  in December.

Since then, the South African authorities have been on a PR offensive to deny this.

There have also been recent navy drills between South Africa, Russia, and China. All of this has sparked an outcry from opposition parties and brought into question South Africa’s neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “We would like [South Africa to start] practising its non-alignment policy,” Brigetty said in a press conference in May.

“On paper, SA is neutral,” but in reality “and certainly in my view, we are not”, Ndevu the professor told Al Jazeera.

“Their many recent actions show, it is clear, the ANC is firmly aligned with Russia,” said John Steenhuisen, the DA leader, in a recent statement.

The ambiguity, Steenhuisen added, could cause severe economic and social damage to the country, risking thousands of jobs and billions of rands in trade with the West if there were to be foreign sanctions.

In May, days after Brigetty’s comments caused the rand to drop by 2.4 percent to the dollar, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) warned that the economy could be hurt if the US implemented sanctions in light of the allegations.

The bank warned that any such penalties would make it “impossible to finance any trade or investment flows, or to make or receive any payments from correspondent banks in USD”.

But the resistance from different quarters is yet to change the government’s stance.

“South Africa will continue to support the efforts to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and as a country and global player, we believe that such conflict should be ended through peaceful negotiations and engagement, not through South Africa taking sides,” Ntshavheni said during a recent debate in parliament.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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Civil service absorbs over 811,000 employees

 Luanda - Around 811,000 workers, including military and paramilitary personnel, are currently included in the State's Integrated Financial Management System, the Minister of Public Administration, Labour and Social Security, Teresa Dias, said on Monday.

Teresa Dias disclosed the figure when delivering her speech at the opening of the National Meeting of Public Administration, Labour and Social Security, stating that in the management and control of civil service personnel, there were 398,815 employees until in 2018.

 

That number, she explained, fluctuated over the period under review, with a total of 399,820 employees by 2022.

 

She said, on the other hand, that the approval and entry into force, in 2022, of the Basic Civil Service Law, has allowed this ministerial department to reduce the probationary period from five to one year.

 

This enabled to include all agents in the permanent staff of administrative staff under contract, in total of 7,200, in addition to the transfer of employees from the special scheme to the general scheme, without the need for an appeal public tender.

 

"We would like to point out that the Executive also worked on the approval of Presidential Legislative Decree No. 3/22, of May 12, which established the general principles relating to the organisation and application of the indicative structure of the salary grids, as well as subsidies or additional remuneration from the Civil Service,” she stressed.

 

The Minister recalled that, as part of the training of civil servants and workers in the public sector of companies, the National School of Administration and Public Policies (ENAPP) trained 44,905 agents, having exceeded the target of 32,000 established in the National Development Plan (PDN).

 

The National Meeting on Public Administration, Labour and Social Security gathered members of the Executive, social partners, academics, journalists, among other guests.

Angola interested in learning from international organisation on education

 Luanda – Angola is interested in learning from international specialized organization on education field and to improve the cooperation with other Portuguese-speaking countries, the minister of Education Luísa Grilo said Monday in Luanda.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the International Forum of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) on Cooperation in Education, the minister highlighted the need of tangible support for the Action Plan and effective participation through programs linked to the strategic axes.

 

The Strategic Plan for Cooperation in Education in force constitutes, for the Member States, the manifestation of a fundamental commitment to cooperation in the education sector, thus serving as an integrated instrument of synergy and multilateral dialogue to respond to the interests and priorities of the States.

Among the axes of the plan are literacy, school feeding, education statistics, professional technical education, promotion of the Portuguese language, among others.

 

According to the minister, the challenges linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, HIV/AIDS, transactional terrorism, economic and financial crises, as well as armed conflicts require cooperation between governments and non-state actors.

 

Luísa Grilo considered the Forum as a space for reflection and consolidation of the mechanisms through which the Member States of the organization, through their respective agents, to have greater access to exchange opportunities available at the level of international organizations specialized in education and promotion of development sustainable.

 

Under the motto “Multilateral Cooperation, Safe Path to Transformational Education in the CPLP”, the meeting brought together members of the community, representatives of international organizations, the United Nations, among other guests.

72% of the country to have electricity access by 2050

 Luanda – More than 6.4 million families may have access to electricity by 2050 in order to achieve 72 percent of electrification goal, according to the Long-Term Strategy (ELP Angola – 2050).

The goals show the country's electrification rate increase from 43% in 2022 to 53% in 2030 and 72% by 2050.

 

In terms of renewable energies (including hydroelectric), the percentage of energy supply that, since 2022, is around 56% will increase to 70%, by 2030, and 94%, in 2050.

 

While that of thermal source will rise from 6.0%, attained in 2022, to 12.4% in 2030 and 32.9% by 2050.

With this strategy, states the document, the Government intends to ensure sustainable, efficient and inclusive energy sector that supports development, boosts economic growth and attracts large-scale private investment.

The ELP predicts that the demand for electricity in Angola will increase more than five times by 2050, and indicates that it is essential to ensure a sustainable system, making tariffs converge to the real cost of the system, reducing losses and attracting private investment in scale, to finance the growth.

 

The aim is to unlock economic growth in Angola, building a resilient economy that benefits all citizens.

Angola announces new programmes to reduce unemployment

 Luanda – The Ministry of Public Administration, Labour and Social Security (MAPTSS) will adopt a new strategy to help reduce unemployment in the 2023-2028 period.

The announcement was made by the incumbent minister, Teresa Dias, while addressing the National Meeting on Public Administration, Labour and Social Security.

Teresa Dias said the sector intends to develop measures to stimulate the valorisation of competencies, with the establishment of a new remuneration architecture to value public servants.

The plan is also, according to the minister, aimed to promote the implementation of a national employment programme, as an instrument of coordination of actions to reduce unemployment levels and regional asymmetries.

"We want to institutionalise the National Employment Fund and ensure the sustainability of the Obligatory Social Protection System, through the promotion of  increased contribution base," the minister said.

The event is taking place under the motto "Discussing the paths and progress of Administration, Labour and Social Security ''.

Government members, social partners, academics, journalists, several organisations and individuals, among other guests, are attending the meeting.

Sonangol, partners to unveil photovoltaic plant in Caraculo

 Luanda – Angola’s oil company Sonangol and partners will inaugurate Tuesday the first phase of the Caraculo Photovoltaic Plant, with global capacity for 50 megawatts.

The first phase of the project, located in the south-west Namibe province, is set to launch 25 megawatts of clean energy, with a total of 46,000 solar panels.

This is part of a joint action by Sonangol and the Italian multinational, ENI,  a national oil company source has told ANGOP.

In order to complete the expected 50 megawatts of the project, the source announced the addition of the other 25 megawatts.

The first photovoltaic power plants are located in the province of Benguela, specifically in the region of Biopio (188.8 MW) and Baia Farta (96.7 MW).

The projects were inaugurated in July 2022 by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.

 

National Road Safety Plan 2022-2027 gets green light

 Luanda - Angola’s Cabinet Council approved Monday the National Plan for Road Safety and Prevention 2023-2027, a document that contains the strategic and operational objective aimed to reduce the number of road accidents in the country.

The Plan, according to the final communiqué of the meeting, chaired by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, also contains the actions to be implemented in view of the factors identified which contribute to road accidents in the country.

 

The Executive intends to improve the training process for vehicle drivers, develop a culture of road education, guarantee efficient management and increase the levels of safety of infrastructures, vehicles and road users.

 

The project also aims to improve and expand rescue and assistance to the victims of accident, thus reducing the death toll resulting from road accidents.

 

Water Sector

 

The session also approved the Regulations for Commercial Relations of Supply and Wastewater Sanitation Services as well as the Regulatory Information Regulation of the Water and Wastewater Sanitation Subsector.

 

The measure aims to boost the legal framework applicable to the Water and Sanitation Subsector, with regard to the duty of information of the Management Entities to the Regulatory Entity, thus allowing the creation of an ecosystem of concise, credible and easy to interpret information.

 

The session also approved the Regulation on the Quality of Service Provided in the Public Water Supply and Wastewater Sanitation Subsector, a document that also establishes, within the scope of reinforcing the powers of the IRSEA, the minimum levels of quality that must comply with the services provided in the said subsector, as well as the due compensation in the event of non-compliance.

 

The session approved the Sanctioning Regulation of the Water and Wastewater Sanitation Subsector, a diploma that establishes the sanctioning regime applicable to transgressions, infractions or non-compliance with the rules on the exercise of public water supply and sanitation of wastewater.

 

The determinations and recommendations of the Regulatory Entity of the Water and Wastewater Sanitation Subsector were also endorsed, also stipulating the norms that conduct the contravention process and the general rules on deadlines, notifications and decision.

 

Energy Sector

 

In this regard, the Cabinet Council took note of the General Guidelines for the Preparation of the National Plan for Rural Electrification.

 

The said planning instrument's main objective is to bring electricity to remote areas of the country, in order to improve the quality of life of the population and promote the economic and social development of these regions.

 

Health area

 

As for the Health Sector, the Cabinet approved the National Contingency and Emergency Plan for the Prevention of Influenza A (H1N1), an instrument that establishes a set of guidelines and procedures that, within a certain framework, aim at an effective response in the face of the threat of a pandemic by Influenza A.

 

To this purpose, the Executive intends to secure the continuity of essential services to the population, safeguarding people and the country's economic and social situation.

 

The plan foresees, among other strategic actions, the establishment of a multi-sector and multi-disciplinary coordination mechanism at national, provincial and local level; analysis of the risk of introducing and transmitting the disease in the country.

 

It also plans, promotes and monitors the implementation of the measures contemplated in each phase of the Contingency and Emergency Plan; the reinforcement of the National Public Health Epidemiological Surveillance System in relation to possible suspected cases in risk groups.

 

The same programme foresees the notification of flu cases; reinforce the institutional capacity of laboratories and establish mechanisms for detection and screening of the H1N1 virus in suspected human and animal cases; and implement preventive measures from an agricultural point of view and community awareness and mobilisation.

 

Reform of Business sector

 

As part of the implementation of the Roadmap for the Reform of the Public Business Sector, the session approved the transformation of Road Cargo Transport companies (Unicargas, U.E.E.) and Public Urban Transport of Luanda (TCUL, U.E.E.), into joint-stock companies.

 

However, reads the statement from the Cabinet Council, both institutions become companies in the public domain.

 

Thus, the said companies, henceforth, are renamed "Unicargas - Empresa de Transporte Rodoviário de Cargas, S.A." or abbreviated "Unicargas, SA." or even "Unicargas" and TCUL - Empresa de Transporte Colectivo Urbano de Luanda, S.A. or abbreviated "TCUL, S.A." or even "TCUL".

 

The Executive intends, with this transformation, to give a new dynamic to the structure and operation of these companies, through a business management model that ensures the achievement of greater efficiency and openness in the segments of freight transport, logistics operation and people and goods.