It’s ludicrous to say Russia and China are turning South Africa into a puppet state

South Africa’s foreign policy record over the past two and a half decades has been exemplary if one has a holistic understanding of what the country has achieved on the world stage since the advent of democracy.

Nicholas Wood-Smith of the Free Market Foundation, who recently accused South Africa of having a failed foreign policy, does not seem to have a sound understanding of either our foreign policy, or current global politics.

In his piece published on 20 April, he referred to Nikki Haley as the US ambassador to the United Nations. He is shockingly out of date as Haley has not been the US ambassador to the UN for five years!

ALSO READ: It seems as if South Africa has sided with Russia, and this is a risky gamble

The same type of confusion permeates the rest of his article. His contention that the SA government is “obsessed with the Cold War ideology of East versus West” is so far from the truth it almost doesn’t deserve a response.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor have excellent relations with Western countries throughout Europe and in North America. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in regular contact with Pandor and the two have a very constructive working relationship.

It was just eight months ago that Blinken was in SA, launching the US strategy for Africa at an event at the University of Pretoria with Pandor. The narrative of the Free Market Foundation that somehow South Africa is “threatening the US” is simply nonsense.

ALSO READ: SA’s stance on Russia could see country lose R400 billion in trade – report

South Africa’s political and trade relations with European countries have gone from strength to strength. For example, Norway has become an important player in South Africa’s energy sector, with a Norwegian company constructing Africa’s largest solar farm in the Northern Cape.

Despite Wood-Smith’s cynicism, Western countries, such as Norway, have announced huge new investments of over R20 billion in South Africa during the recent South African Investment Conference.

Similarly, it is equally ludicrous to argue that Russia and China are “turning South Africa into a puppet state”. Russia and China have always had strong relations with South Africa since 1994 and even during the liberation struggle.

These relations have strengthened through partnerships such as Brics and Focac (China and Africa), which focuses on growing trade and investment between our countries.

ALSO READ: No chance of SA arresting Putin when he visits

This in no way suggests that South Africa no longer exercises an independent foreign policy or has become any nation’s lackey merely because we have forged strong trade ties or partnerships.

The Free Market Foundation should be encouraging of any form of foreign investment and trade promotion emanating from any country or region in the world, given our urgent need to grow our economy, create jobs and effectively address the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment in our country.

For the Free Market Foundation to punt relations with the West as opposed to the East is short-sighted to say the least. One would have expected Wood-Smith to be aware of the reality that emerging markets are considered the growth drivers of the future.

South Africa would be incredibly foolish to pull away from its partnerships with up-and-coming emerging economies at a time where economic diplomacy is the priority of our foreign policy. The rising importance of Brics as a collective of the global South is increasingly evident.

ALSO READ: ANC visit evidence of strengthening SA/Russia ties, Putin’s safety

According to Megh Updates, one of the world’s largest international online platforms, Brics has officially overtaken the G7 in global GDP – and the trend is set to continue.

The five core members of Brics contribute 31.5% of global GDP, while the G7 contributes 30%. Brics is expected to contribute over 50% of global GDP by 2030 and this may happen even sooner with enlargement of the grouping.

For Wood-Smith to engage in wholesale condemnation of South Africa’s foreign policy record exposes his Afro-pessimism and refusal to acknowledge the plethora of foreign policy successes that South Africa has achieved.

It was just six months ago that SA was voted onto the UN Human Rights Council for the fifth three-year term. South Africa received the highest number of votes of the candidate countries standing for the Human Rights Council, receiving a resounding 182 votes out of a maximum total of 190.

ALSO READ: ANC visit Russia in anti-West move

The vote outcome reflects the deep appreciation on the part of member states for the constructive and principled role that our country plays in promoting human rights internationally.

South Africa has also been praised for the role it played in hosting the successful AU-led peace talks between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front last year. These talks led to Ethiopia’s warring sides formally agreeing to a permanent cessation of hostilities and signing a peace agreement on 2 November, ending the brutal two-year conflict.

This is not to mention SA’s active engagement and leadership role in the AU Peace and Security Council and, prior to that, the presidency of the African Union.

It is time for the pundits to support South Africa’s progressive foreign policy and contribute constructively to policy debates, rather than becoming armchair critics that are for the most part ill-informed.

Monyela is the deputy director-general of public diplomacy at the department of international relations and trade.

This was written in response to an article in The Citizen by Nicholas Wood-Smith, titled “Failed foreign policy threatens prosperity”.