The West would not want Pandor or Malema as SA president

If there are politicians the West wouldn’t want as SA president, it surely should be Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor and outspoken EFF leader Julius Malema. Both were at some stage so close – at least by proxy.

Pandor was nominated for the ANC deputy president under the CR17 ticket in 2017. She was outpaced by Lindiwe Sisulu who, in turn, was out performed by David Mabuza for the No 2 position. Malema was once touted by Jacob Zuma as the “future president” and Mabuza also confirmed they were talking to Malema to come “back home”.

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That’s all history – but it’s not to say Juju will never be president of South Africa because his party is the only one that is growing, while the top two are going down fast.

Both Pandor and Malema have consistently taken uncompromising stances towards the West’s attempt to force SA to take sides in the current Russia-Ukrainian war. Pandor has been speaking out against the bullying by the United States with regards to the Ukrainian matter and the South African relationship with Russia, which is bothering Washington.

Some US lawmakers want punitive action taken against South Africa, while the Biden administration is handling the matter with great care, lest it jeopardises its relations with South Africa permanently, or force it to run to the Russians. I wouldn’t blame Biden – especially with Brics threatening to alter the world economic order.

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In less than a decade, China alone was confirmed to overtake the US as the No 1 economy in the world – something that Washington sees as no joke. While Pandor’s uncompromising stance, including her views against the West’s double standards on Palestine, are known, her position is milder than that of Malema.

He told BBC he won’t just support Russia in its war with Ukraine, but would also supply Vladimir Putin with weapons. These are positions that the US and the European Union wouldn’t like to hear coming from South Africa.

Pandor and Malema were mentioned by the African media among several African leaders who stood up to the West.

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Others mentioned by the Think Rich Africa group were presidents William Ruto of Kenya, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Namibia’s Hage Geingob, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Felix Tshesekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The late Tanzania president John Magufuli could be added to the list.

Joining these leaders are the new military juntas of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger that kicked France, lock, stock and barrel, out of their countries. They had threatened to go to war jointly if France or the West or the Economic Community of West Africa (Ecowas) invaded them.

Anti-imperialism pioneers included Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso, DRC’s Patrice Lumumba and Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah.

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The unprecedented threat by Ecowas to invade Niger has raised eyebrows about its motive – it is unfathomable that Ecowas, with Nigeria at the helm, was so keen to attack Niger, its crucial neighbour.

This would harden attitudes and cause more anti-West sentiments in Africa and acceptance of Russia and China as saviours against Western neocolonialism.

The presence of the Wagner group in Mali and Niger and the waving of Russian flags during the military coup in Niger is testimony to this. Let Africa determine its destiny and decide who its friends should be.

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That SA is nonaligned is good and we hope it will stay like that. We need no more wars in Africa.