Cape Town – Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says he has arrived in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, as he embarks on a “six-day tour” of the various parts of the war ravished country.
Steenhuisen said this in a tweet on Sunday.
He said his visit was aimed at ascertaining for himself the situation in Ukraine, a country that has been under siege from the Russian army for over two months.
“Over the course of the next week I will be visiting refugee camps as well as meeting with various mayors, governors, business leaders, students and ordinary Ukrainian citizens to see, first-hand, the effects of the Russian invasion and the ongoing occupation of parts of Ukraine.
I have today arrived in the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine from where I will embark on a six-day tour of various parts of Ukraine – mostly around the capital, Kiev – to ascertain for myself the situation in a country that has been under siege from the Russian army. pic.twitter.com/RvTDtyaeAK
— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) May 1, 2022
“… We owe it to the people of Ukraine to tell the unfiltered truth about what is taking place there so that the world can stand united in bringing this injustice to an end”.
“In the era of fake news and propaganda, this is the only way to truly know what has happened,” said Steenhuisen.
The Russian attack – which began on February 24 – on Ukraine has killed dozens, as airstrikes hit military installations and ground forces moved in from the north, south, and east of Ukraine.
Steenhuisen’s visit to Ukraine comes a few weeks after his party launched an online petition for the South African government to take a “decisive stand” on the conflict between the two countries.
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It wanted government to publicly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The government has maintained a non-aligned stance on the conflict.
Despite widespread anger at its position, South Africa argues that negotiations are the best option to end the conflict.
The country has so far abstained from voting in two high-profile UN rebukes of Russia.
Steehuisen said he would provide regular updates to the media about his visit.
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Picture: Twitter/@KemisoMokoena
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
