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The Democratic Alliance (DA) is concerned that the campaign canvassing support for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s bid for African Union (AU) leadership has resulted in a blind eye being turned to abuses of power and a lack of democratic accountability on the continent.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) continues to remain silent on a number of important issues in North, West and East Africa.

To revive South Africa’s faltering image as a principled advocate for democracy and human rights in the international arena, DIRCO has to take a stand on some sensitive issues, including:
The Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade’s controversial bid for a third term and his government’s crackdown on protestors opposed to this violation of the spirit of democracy in Senegal;
the failure of North African countries to ratify the African charter of democracy, elections and governance, which effectively places the post Arab Spring regimes outside of the AU’s “most progressive legal instrument” to promote democracy, free and fair elections, human rights and the rule of law;
the planned Nigerian legislation outlawing gay marriage and banning public displays of affection between homosexual couples;
continued communal violence in the recently independent South Sudan and the bullying tactics of the Sudanese government in its battle to ensure a continued share of the South Sudanese oil wealth; and
the humanitarian crisis in Somalia and the failure of the Somalian government to allow aid workers and supplies into the country.
South Africa’s ongoing bid to lead the AU should not result in lukewarm foreign policy decisions.

A commitment to human rights is the cornerstone of South Africa’s foreign policy. We should demonstrate this commitment by advocating a human rights based regional and global order that adheres to the highest possible standard of democracy.

We call on Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane to start making some tough decisions in the interest of our country and the continent.