Article

Chickens have come home to roost

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH Africa’s foreign policy is at a crossroads. This is thirty years since South Africa became a democracy.

America’s new President, Donald Trump, has put South Africa’s pro-Iran foreign policy and the country’s counterproductive race-based government policies on the global spotlight.

South Africa is officially in the fallout with the United States of America (USA), the world’s economic superpower. For us who follow current affairs for a living, it’s no surprise. The breakdown of USA-South Africa relations was a matter of when, not a matter of if.

Before Trump won last November’s US election, the USA-South Africa relations were already under review in the corridors of Capitol Hill. The USA had become seriously concerned about South Africa’s anti-America foreign policy in recent years. From South Africa’s refusal at the United Nations (UN) to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to South Africa holding military drills with China and Russia at the height of USA-Russia tensions, to South Africa filing genocide charges against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year.

The decision to file for genocide charges against Israel was the biggest foreign policy blunder in South Africa’s democratic history, in my opinion. I wonder who advised our government to pursue the charges.

Why didn’t Arab nations file a case of genocide against Israel? Why South Africa at the southern tip of Africa? The case is not at all in our interest. It is in the interest of the ANC (African National Congress) elite.

Now as Trump confronts South Africa, cutting all funding and refusing to engage diplomatically with Ramaphosa’s administration, and billionaire Elon Musk intensifying the pressure on Ramaphosa on X asking him“Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?”, we are told to be patriotic and unite.

Well, not me. I ain’t doing that. All I’ll keep saying is “Chickens have come home to roost”.

I’ve criticised South Africa’s foreign policy for years. Back in 2017, I wrote that South Africa must revise its foreign policy. The article was published on News24. I have also decried South Africa’s policy on Israel-Palestine relations. The hostility to Israel is not helpful.

I was one of the very few analysts who railed against the ICJ case proceedings. Wrote a piece titled “Why is SA gunning for Israel at the ICJ?”. And for that I have paid a price and it’s okay. The charges against Israel don’t make sense and are a geopolitical blunder.

After visiting the USA to engage the Trump administration on the breakdown of the USA-South Africa relations, AfriForum and Solidarity Movement have been accused of treason by some South Africans. Unacceptable!

AfriForum and Solidarity Movement as private organisations, have the right to complain to the world about South Africa’s government policies. There is nothing wrong about going to the USA and speaking to USA politicians. They can tell anyone in this earth.

There is a disturbing belief held by many South Africans. And that is we owe South Africa’s government something. And that on foreign policy, we should all rally behind the government in the name of “patriotism”. Sorry, the government is not entitled to that. We don’t owe politicians. Actions have consequences and our political leaders should take responsibility.

Ramaphosa and his government must take responsibility. They must have known what they were doing by antagonising America in recent years. They must have understood the repercussions.

I believe Trump and Elon are helping us. We have pursued anti-growth policies for decades now. These bad policies have resulted in staggering dismal economic growth and unemployment.

What South Africans must understand is that people like Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela, fought for our rights to criticize the democratically elected government. In a democracy, we shouldn’t be afraid to hold our government to account.

Politicians in power were voted by us. They did not vote themselves to power. We must never be loyal to politicians. Such is dangerous for our democracy,

Ramaphosa and his party must deal with the mess they have created with regards to USA-South Africa relations. They must deal with the issue and get our relations with the USA back on track.

We have more in common with USA than with Iran or China. Hence, we should strengthen our relations with the US.

However, going forward, our government must not take any welfare money from the USA – or any other foreign country. We are a middle income country. We can afford to finance our HIV program. However, financing it will require that we get our national budget right and pursue prudent fiscal policy.

I just wish our electorate was wise enough to punish the ANC for its disastrous foreign policy of the recent years. PM

This article was first published on Politicsweb.co.za. Buy Phumlani’s book Lessons from Past Heroes here, and subscribe to his YouTube channel here.

© PHUMLANI M. MAJOZI