The behaviour of US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety was certainly the most undiplomatic we have witnessed in any administration.
One would have expected Trump-era ambassador Lana Marks, a handbag designer and business woman with no prior experience in government or diplomacy, to fall into this trap.
Ambassador Reuben Brigety has since “admitted that he crossed a line” after he said a Russian ship had picked up weapons in SA last year.
The US ambassador’s “apology” is still seen as unclear and unapologetic.
After International Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor held a meeting with the US ambassador to address his inflammatory allegations about
South Africa, the US ambassador was reported to have apologised “unreservedly” about utterances regarding weapons to Russia. There is however nothing unreservedly apologetic in his tweet after the meeting as he only admitted to correcting “misimpressions” in his public remarks.
The ambassador further went after the ANC documents in the most unprecedented speech by an ambassador. Perhaps the ANC will be meeting with him soon as well.
The South African public and government are deeply offended by this. They feel he undermined our country’s sovereignty.
Many South Africans on social media are even lamenting how warmly they welcomed him for him to treat SA in this manner. One person even tweeted that they were sad to have shared their jazz list with him while many are calling for him to be recalled for damaging our reputation.
Had there been any truth to his claims it would still not be for an ambassador to make allegations of that nature. It would be the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Biden’s position to address SA.
Since the Russia-Ukraine war, the nature of diplomacy has slightly changed globally but this is a new level. This is offensive and no longer diplomacy.
South Africa is constantly facing pressure to join the war against Russia while South Africa insists on a third way, a less combative approach of peace-talks instead of war.
This accusation is seen by South Africa as one of the ways of forcing South Africa's hand towards a war it has nothing to do with.
Africa has many wars and the South African position is to wage peace. A peaceful way SA itself continues to wrestle with within her own borders as SA struggles with unresolved inequality which is a legacy of apartheid and now exacerbated by corruption.
Nonetheless, waging peace is what SA insists on for ourselves and therefore even in our approach to global issues. This is the South African way.
The US ambassador is said to be expected to make a statement on TV as he did when he made these allegations. US-SA relations must change for the better as the world changes. We have more in common than our differences.
* Siki Dlanga Mdantsane, East London.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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