‘We are not anti-America, but we won’t be bullied’ – ANC

The party has backed President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Ronald Lamola in handling the strained US-South Africa relations, stating that formal diplomatic channels exist for engagement.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) visit to the Free State, first deputy secretary general Nomvula Mokonyane dismissed the need to send a delegation to the US, emphasising that South Africa has an ambassador in Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, to handle such matters.

“Part of what we need to appeciate is how smart and diplomatic the South African government is. And we support the approach because yes, sending a delegation to the United States can be something that we assume is the only way of communication.

“We must remind South Africans that we have an ambassador, we have an embassy, we have a consulate in the United States of America. The consulate’s business is to interact with people in the business sector, people who are related to us on trade. We have a funstioning consulate, we have an embassy, we have an ambassador… So in fact, we are highly represented than people who book a flight and leave and come back,” Mokonyane said.

She criticised the DA for meeting undisclosed senior US officials, suggesting this could create instability in the country.

“What we are anti is bullying, what we are anti, is disrespect of sovereignty, what we are anti, is a situation where a minority believes they can create instability in this country by going and meet… we don’t even know who they met, even the DA [Democratic Alliance] has not told us who they met, they keep saying we met senior people. We have an ambassador who talks with the administration.”