By Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe
The ANC missed another golden opportunity to discuss its own policies on different issues be they local or international. The focus, as usual, was more on who will be included in the 80-member National Executive Committee (NEC) and its “top seven”.
What is of concern for me is that the plethora of delegates who were bused in to attend the party’s conference at Nasrec, lack basic knowledge of foreign policies, economy, information and technology, tourism, and other important fields of government. Yet, they are expected to give input and vote in favour or against things of which they know very little, but often have their own agenda which they wish to push, even if it’s at the expense of what is best for the country as a whole.
For example, in 2017, during the 54th ANC elective conference, a resolution was taken to downgrade the South African embassy in Israel. Following that, Pretoria recalled its ambassador from their embassy in Jerusalem. Thus, a resolution endorsed by delegates who have a biased understanding of what is happening in that part of the world, and no real thought of the implications of their bias, had a greater say in our politics than what they should have.
This resolution has caused general unhappiness among South Africans. This year, the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI) again anticipated that the 55th national elective conference of the ANC would be used to single out Israel for special disparagement, so they hosted night prayers in Orange Farm, South of Johannesburg, in a bid to ask for spiritual strength and guidance on how to best deal with the issue of Israel-Palestine, as well as Israel and South African diplomatic relations.
SAFI also protested at Nasrec, outside the venue of the conference, calling on the ANC to re-examine and review its decision to downgrade its embassy in Israel and continue to help strengthen South Africa and Israel’s bilateral ties. In the run-up to the conference, they launched the Tshwane-Jerusalem Declaration, which sees individuals, civil society, churches and business organisations, call for re-establishing friendly relations and mutually beneficial partnerships with the State of Israel (https://www.tshwane.org/).
Closing Israel’s embassy in Pretoria will not change the fate and fortunes of either Israel or Palestine. There is a long-standing political tension between them, and the United Nations, Egypt, and the United States of America continuously try to play an important role to unite these beautiful people.
Yet, the ANC and its partners continuous bashing and blaming of Israel for the conflict between Israel and Palestine, does nothing to help to address the political tensions in the region. Solly Mapaila, a leader of the SA Communist Party, has recently made a populist call for the ANC to close the “apartheid Israel’s” embassy in South Africa.
It is not really surprising that Mapaila would rather ignore dealing with his “dead and useless” party which wields no popular support and would not win any ward in South Africa. The SACP’s level of influence in our politics has everything to do with their historical ties with the ANC, and nothing to do with their ideas.
While the SACP leaders threaten to one day go it alone to contest the ANC in the polls, should they not be included in government deployment, it is something they know they cannot do. Unless, of course, they want to be as toothless as the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania or Azanian People’s Organisation and have absolutely no political influence in the mainstream politics at all.
Instead of pontificating on Israel, Mapaila should focus on rebuilding his dying party and try to resurrect it to what Chris Hani and Joe Slovo wanted it to be. Anyway, why would Israel be more important than his own, unpopular party?
And then we also have our Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, who takes every opportunity possible to demonise Israel. During the recent ANC conference, she said “South Africa cannot have normal relations with Israel until the creation of a free Palestine”.
It is quite sad that Pandor hates Israel so much that she cannot see past her own predisposition that the real aggressors and offenders of human rights in the world are the Palestinians. She is so blinkered that she is unable to see that Israel is defending itself from Islamic Jihadist attacks, rather than being the aggressor. But then again, South Africa is the only democracy in the world supporting Russia in its invasion of Ukraine in its brutal war of destruction and murder.
The current political turmoil in Iran has seen over 500 people being killed by their own government. This follows the death of Mahsa Amini which sparked a protest of Iranians calling for freedom. Out of those already killed, more than 60 were children. What sort of actions has South Africa taken against Iran for these evident gross human rights violations? Did the ANC’s 55th national elective conference discuss the situation in Tehran? Well, I do not think so. I am guessing they discussed Israel because organisations such as Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) are able to “buy” political support from senior officials of the ANC.
It is this aspect of the ANC conferences that I find so worrying. The ANC is a party presiding over the government of South Africa, we therefore need to pay attention to every aspect of the conference. The implications of the decisions taken are huge and impact on all our lives. More’s the pity that these decisions are left to those who want to push their own, limited interests, rather than do what’s best for South Africa.
*Mokgatlhe is an independent writer and social commentator