EFF urges President Ramaphosa to reject the visa agreement, emphasising its potential harm to South Africa's diplomatic ties with Russia. File Picture: Timothy Bernard/Independent Newspapers
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has strongly opposed the recent visa-free agreement signed between South Africa and Ukraine.
They claim that this move undermines South Africa's historic relationship with Russia and plays into Western imperialist interests.
EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys expressed the party’s disapproval, calling the agreement “a betrayal of South Africa’s solidarity with the Russian Federation” and a reflection of the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s pro-Western stance.
The agreement, announced by DA Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, permits visa-free travel for Ukrainian holders of diplomatic, official, and service passports into South Africa, and vice versa.
According to Mathys, this decision bypassed Cabinet consultation, showing “white supremacist arrogance” and demonstrating the DA’s disregard for South Africa’s alliances and strategic goals within the BRICS bloc.
South Africa and Russia share a long-standing relationship that dates back to the apartheid struggle, during which Russia provided significant support in the fight against colonialism and imperialism.
As founding members of BRICS, both nations promote economic and infrastructural development independent of Western influence.
Mathys said this visa-free agreement disrespects these ties and jeopardises the country’s multilateral commitments.
The EFF is concerned that this agreement aligns with NATO’s agenda to influence Eastern Europe.
According to the EFF, NATO’s past involvement in countries like Libya and Iraq, where regime changes left nations destabilised, suggests a broader aim of encircling Russia.
They argue that the visa-free agreement with Ukraine could open South Africa to foreign intelligence activities targeting Russia, particularly given Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.
Mathys stated, “The DA has consistently aligned itself with Euro-Western interests, and this visa-free agreement is merely a gateway for NATO-aligned operatives to exploit South African soil to Russia’s detriment.”
In addition to damaging ties with Russia, the EFF views the visa-free agreement as symptomatic of a larger pro-Western bias that could destabilise South Africa’s role in the BRICS coalition.
The EFF has also argued that Schreiber’s decision bypasses protocol, as it was allegedly undertaken without consultation with President Cyril Ramaphosa or the Department of International Relations.
This unilateral approach, the EFF says, underscores the DA’s willingness to “reposition South Africa as a pawn for imperialist powers,” endangering the country's foreign policy and independence.
The EFF has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to refrain from ratifying the agreement, warning that it could compromise South Africa’s foreign policy and erode public support for the government’s anti-imperialist stance.
‘’We can only hope that the president of South Africa, Ramaphosa does not ratify this agreement as it will compromise our political and diplomatic ties with Russia and our membership in Brics.’’
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