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Petition to ‘stop SA from being involved’ in Russia and Ukraine conflict gathers momentum

Kyle Zeeman Digital Editor
The petition called on international relations minister Naledi Pandor to "please bring our children, brothers, sisters and parents back. Do not get involved in this war".
The petition called on international relations minister Naledi Pandor to "please bring our children, brothers, sisters and parents back. Do not get involved in this war".
Image: EDUARDO MUNOZ

A petition calling on government not to get involved in the deadly conflict between Russia and Ukraine has amassed more than 26,000 signatures to date.

The petition was started late last week after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine. He claimed the move was to “protect” the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and said there was a need to “demilitarise” the country. Ukraine labelled it an “act of war” and filed a suit against Russia at the highest UN court in The Hague, Netherlands.

Attacks by Russia on several Ukranian cities by air, land and sea followed as the West scrambled to impose harsher sanctions on Putin and his country.

The department of international relations and co-operation (Dirco) called on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, and advocated for peaceful negotiations.

As concerns were voiced that SA might become involved in the conflict if it escalates, a petition was started to ask government to help SA citizens in Ukraine and “not to get involved in the war”.

“It is vital for Dirco, and the government at large as a nation built by the people and voted in by the people, to take heed of South Africans’ cry to not get involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine

“[International relations] minister Naledi Pandor, please bring our people back. Bring our children, brothers, sisters and parents back. Do not get involved in this war. We have our own problems, and we do not want to sacrifice any South African lives to a war in which we have no business being involved,” it said.

This follows similar calls on social media, with citizens asking “which SA” government was referring to when it issued its statement about the conflict.

Sunday Times reported President Cyril Ramaphosa was “unhappy” about the strongly worded statement, with sources close to him claiming it “contradicts” SA’s position on the issue.  

A highly placed insider in the Union Buildings, who asked not to be named, told the paper: “The president did not see the statement before it was issued and does not agree with it. There are people within Dirco with an agenda that we must be enemies with Russia”.

Pandor’s spokesperson Lunga Ngqengelele said he wasn’t aware the president was unhappy about the statement.

“The withdrawal [of troops] is so that it gives a chance for negotiations to take place because that’s what we are about,” he said


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