Africa-Press – South-Africa. DA leader John Steenhuisen says the war raging in Ukraine, is “everyone’s war” and that South Africa should not be sitting on the bench.
The DA leader last week embarked on a fact-finding mission to war-torn Ukraine to witness, first-hand the situation on the ground.
He stressed that he did not understand the criticism directed at his fact-finding mission to Ukraine, as the undertaking was done with the poor and marginalised communities across South Africa in mind.
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“When global maize and oil prices spike even further, these are the people who will suffer. And many will die if we don’t step in with a plan to shield them from hunger. That is why I get angry when I hear people say, ‘This is not our war, we needn’t involve ourselves or speak out’.”
“These families, whose children go to bed starving every night and who have to share slices of bread or tiny amounts of watery porridge, will be our victims of the war in Ukraine.
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“Our ANC government speaks only for its own narrow financial interests. It does not represent the citizens of South Africa in its immoral support for Russia. They are not the ones who will send their children to bed, night after night, with no food. It’s easy to say this war is not our problem when you are cushioned from the real world by unimaginable privilege,” said the DA leader.
Steenhuisen arrived in Lviv, in western Ukraine, on 1 May. The annoucement sparked widespread criticism as South Africans took to social media platforms to ask why he had failed to undertake such missions on the African continent when wars broke out.
There were also questions asked as to why Steenhuisen did not go on fact-finding missions in poverty-stricken parts of South Africa.
On Monday, the DA leader defended the move, saying he had actually visited impoverished citizens in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga before leaving the country.
“And I can assure you, the lived experience of the people I met on these trips is a million miles from that of politicians urging us to not upset Russia. They will be the first to feel the effects of this war. They are the reason we cannot remain neutral and disinterested,” said Steenhuisen.
He added that what was worrying from his trip to Ukraine was the “realisation that this war is far from over”.
‘This is a global issue’
“No one knows for sure what Putin will do next. There are many theories and speculations, and analysts have painted several possible scenarios that range from an immediate withdrawal to an immediate escalation,” he said, adding:
Steenhuisen added that in light of uncertainty about when the war would end, the only thing that was certain was that food and energy prices would continue to skyrocket.
“Large parts of Ukraine’s farmland will not be planted this season. Much of the eastern part of the country, including ports, is still mined. And many Ukrainians have been drafted into the army and are unavailable to work in their sectors of the economy.”
“So even if the fighting were to stop right away, the economic devastation – and particularly the agricultural aspect – will take years to overcome. And this is not a Ukrainian or even a European issue. This is a global issue.”
Ukraine is the largest producer of sunflower oil, the third-largest producer of corn, and among the top five producers of wheat in the world. Between Russia and Ukraine, they account for nearly a third of the world’s wheat and barley exports.
“Africa is particularly heavily dependent on grain from this region. Already we are seeing fast-rising prices due to restrictions on Ukrainian exports through its ports. This is going to get far worse before it gets any better. That is why this is everyone’s war,” said the DA leader.
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“The people I spoke to cannot fathom how South Africa has taken the stance it has, particularly given our country’s own history at the wrong end of imperial conquest and our fight for freedom and democracy.
“The academics I met, in particular, were bewildered by South Africa’s official response. Many of them remember very clearly the support given to South African exiles in Ukraine – and by Ukrainian universities – during the liberation struggle.
“I was asked, on more than one occasion, what South Africa would expect the world to do if the same thing were to happen to us.
“And so that is my question to President Ramaphosa too: What would you expect the global community to do if South Africa was the country being bombed to pieces, and South African citizens were being slaughtered by the army of another nation?” asked Steenhuisen.
He called for Parliament to follow in his footsteps and send a multi-party delegation to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian leaders and assess the situation for themselves.
“And then once they have these facts, come back and help shift public opinion on Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
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