Deepening crisis demands SA shifts foreign policy focus, says Rolene Marks
The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) has expressed grave concern over South Africa’s “inadequate” response to escalating election-results-related unrest in Mozambique, which it says poses a direct security risk to SA.
SA president Cyril Ramaphosa attended the controversial swearing-in on Wednesday of President Daniel Chapo of Frelim whose disputed election victory, only confirmed just before Christmas, sparked protests by supporters of opposition candidate, Venâncio Mondlane who returned to Mozambique last week, calling for a 3-day national strike.
Reportedly, over 300 protestors have been killed, shops have been looted and set alight, thousands of people have been arrested and thousands of Mozambicans have fled to neighbouring Malawi and Eswatini.
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“Mozambique is teetering on the edge of civil war, and the South African government’s response has been alarmingly inadequate,” says Rolene Marks, national spokesperson of the SAZF in a statement released on Wednesday. “While our government remains distracted by divisive international rhetoric, the real threats to our national security are unfolding on our doorstep.”
Christian response
The Christian Times, says in a report published today that the Mozambique Christian Council and the Mozambique Evangelical Association joined Christian leaders in Matola City to pray for peace and reconciliation, and met political leaders.
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Tearfund’s country director for Zimbabwe and Mozambique, Judas Massingue, said: “Tearfund in Mozambique has been supporting the Mozambique Christian Council and the Mozambique Evangelical Association in their efforts to help restore peace in Mozambique. So far, meetings have been held with the head of state as well as with the main parties that participated in the elections to discuss pathways for restoration of peace,” reports The Christian Times.
It says that members of the South African Council of Churches met Christians in Mozambique online and issued a statement afterwards. It said: “We acknowledge the state of extreme vulnerability that Mozambique is experiencing at a political, economic, security, and social level. It is our belief that the very identity and fabric of Mozambique as a country is at risk of disintegration if no definitive steps are taken to arrest the current political stalemate, and return the country to a state of order and security.”
Terrorists escape
Warning that the crisis threatens the region, the SAZF says that amid growing unrest, a Christmas day revolt at Maputo Central Prison led to the escape of over 6 000 inmates, including 29 convicted terrorists linked to al-Shabab, a group responsible for the deaths of over 33 000 people in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province since 2017. Fugitives have reportedly bribed their way across the South African border, exposing critical vulnerabilities, says the SAZF.
“The ANC-led government’s neglect of this regional security crisis is emblematic of its misplaced priorities,” Marks states. “Instead of allocating resources to secure our borders and address the Mozambican conflict, the ANC has squandered R95 million on an unfounded case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which the court dismissed. This wasteful expenditure reflects a shocking disregard for South Africa’s pressing challenges.”
The ANC’s January 8 statement dedicated just 42 words to the escalating Mozambique crisis, downplaying its significance by grouping it with conflicts in Sudan and the DRC. In stark contrast, the statement allocated 150 words to condemning Israel with baseless accusations of “genocidal slaughter” and “ethnic cleansing”, says the statement.
Marks challenges these claims, noting: “Israel’s Arab citizens enjoy full voting rights, representation in the Knesset, and equal access to opportunities under laws that prohibit discrimination. Such accusations are not only false but detract from critical regional issues that require immediate attention.”
The SAZF calls for a shift in South Africa’s foreign policy to prioritise evidence-based decision-making and a dehyphenated approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “South Africa’s national interests must come first. A balanced, moderate stance in international relations would demonstrate that we are a peace-seeking nation capable of addressing both local and global challenges responsibly,” Marks asserts.
The SAZF urges the South African government to focus on securing the nation’s borders, addressing regional instability, and protecting its citizens. “We cannot afford to ignore the threats posed by terrorist groups operating in Mozambique. South Africa’s national security and the wellbeing of its people must be our government’s top priorities,” Marks concludes.
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