NELSON MANDELA: WEST'S ENEMIES ARE NOT OURS

This clip of Nelson Mandela's 1990 interview with PBS journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault (@charlaynehg on X, @charlaynehg_ on IG) could not be more timely given the ongoing geopolitical tensions between South Africa and the West, particularly the US. 

At the time, Mandela told Hunter-Gault that the West was being unreasonable in expecting South Africa to align with the former’s interests and disavow Cuba, the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their respective leaders at the time, Yasser Arafat and Fidel Castro. He pointed out that in the fight against apartheid, South African freedom fighters could not enlist the United States’ support. Cuba and the PLO, on the other hand, aided the African National Congress party and its armed resistance wing, Umkhonto weSizwe (MK). Therefore, South Africa would not forsake its allies.

Over three decades later, not much has changed when it comes to how the West expects the rest of the world to treat its allies and foes. In February, the US suspended HIV/AIDS funding to South Africa, a move Julius Malema (@julius_s_malema on X, @julius.malema.sello on IG), president of the Pan-African party, Economic Freedom Fighters (@effsouthafrica), recently argued is simply ‘revenge’ for the strong stance it has taken against Israel's onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza. In December 2023, South Africa filed a case with the International Court of Justice, charging Israel with violating the UN G*nocide Convention. Since then, the US and Israel have manoeuvred via lobbying and threats to place pressure on South Africa to drop the case.

Video credit: @pbs

Sources

https://www.newarab.com/news/explainer-how-s-africa-palestinian-struggles-are-linked

https://tribunemag.co.uk/2024/08/how-cuba-helped-end-apartheid-at-cuito-cuanavale

https://dirco.gov.za/south-africa-delivers-evidence-of-israel-genocide-to-icj/

https://pepfarwatch.org/pepfar-funding-freeze/