Johannesburg – The EFF says it they will not allow the US to continue "bullying" South Africa. This comes after the US Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, claimed South Africa had sold weapons to Russia.
Since then, Brigety has apologised for the misconceptions arising from his remarks.
Brigety's claim, which was made on Thursday, alleged that a Russian ship had been loaded with ammunition and weapons in Cape Town in December last year.
President Cyril Ramaphosa denied any knowledge of this claim, saying he would order an inquiry into the matter.
On Saturday, the EFF called for Bigety’s removal, with EFF national chairperson Veronica Mente saying his accusation was a very serious international relations blunder.
Mente, who spoke to the SABC during the party’s three-day Central Command Team meeting in Kempton Park, added that it was wrong of Ramaphosa to suggest that the incident requires an investigation.
"We have called for (his) removal, and he must just pack his bags and go back home because you cannot have a person who just gets excited and starts accusing a sovereign country on its own shores to say this is what has happened.
“But at the very same time, we do blame Ramaphosa for thinking that what the ambassador said qualifies for some kind of investigation. He should have rubbished such things. He should know the country he’s leading. He should know what is happening in the ports of this country."
Mente added that the South African government must not allow itself to be intimated by the US ahead of the BRICS Summit set for August this year. It has been reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in attendance.
Early this year, it was reported that the government was considering a virtual summit in a bid to avert the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) calls for Putin to be arrested for war crimes.
This is after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president over alleged human rights violations in Ukraine.
Mente said the summit comes at an opportune time for the country’s economic woes, which a BRICS Summit might find solutions to.
"The ANC and its government should not even move an inch; they should not be intimidated. We must have the BRICS Summit because we are also looking forward to that summit in terms of finding solutions to the economic downward spiral we see right now.
“We are looking for solutions for energy supply, and the only hope we have at this current juncture is what should come out of BRICS, which we are part of," said Mente.
The Star