Africa-Press – South-Africa. Following weeks of scrutiny on the government’s stance on the conflict in Ukraine, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, is headed to Russia this week for a high-level security meeting.
Ntshavheni will attend a three-day meeting in Moscow which her department has described as routine.
The meeting is expected to be attended by high-level officials and will discuss “security matters, general trends in the international security situation including global security”.
Ntshavheni, whose departmental responsibility includes the Ministry of State Security, is expected to engage Russian authorities on the peacekeeping mission by African leaders who hope to try and end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The African leaders’ peace mission to Russia and Ukraine was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week after consultation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ntshavheni has already sent “high-level” officials from the presidency to Ukraine in preparation for the peace mission.
The African leaders’ mission will involve Zambia, Senegal, Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa.
Ramaphosa said Putin and Zelensky had agreed to meet the African delegation in the trip expected to take place in June.
For the past few weeks, the government has tried to clean up its image after a political firestorm was created when US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, accused the country of supplying weapons to Russia.
Ntshavheni has vigorously defended the government’s non-aligned stance on the conflict in Ukraine and Russia’s invasion of the country.
She said a false impression had been created that South Africa had adopted an anti-US stance.
While addressing her department’s budget vote in Parliament last week, Ntshavheni said the end of the conflict was necessary for Ukraine, Russia, and the world.
She said the war had caused a rise in food prices and inflation, further impacting the cost of living.
“South Africa will continue to support the efforts to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine; as a country and a global player, we believe that such a conflict should be ended through peaceful negotiations and engagement and not through South Africa taking sides,” the minister said.
Her visit to Russia will take place from 23 to 25 May.
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