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The Democratic Alliance (DA) is disappointed by the Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Mrs. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane's pledge to continue with South Africa's ambivalent approach to a rights-based foreign policy.

The Minister's comments supporting previous foreign policy blunders made during the tenure of former Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's indicates that South Africa's approach to international relations under a Jacob Zuma administration will continue to nurture and support the oppressive regimes of the world rather than promote respect for human rights.

It is unfortunate that Minister Nkoana-Mashabane has missed an opportunity to align the country's foreign policy practices with our constitutional principles and moral obligations. One would have hoped that the appointment of a new Minister would have heralded a new era for South Africa's international relations following years of endless foreign policy failures.

South Africa's past foreign policy actions ranging from endorsing materially flawed elections in Zimbabwe and actively blocking sanction of some of the world's worst human rights abuses have damaged the country's international reputation. We also wasted a golden opportunity to strengthen our candidacy for a permanent seat in the Security Council by voting against action being taken by on human rights violations in Myanmar, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. However, we can still reclaim our rightful place as one of the world's leading nations by re-inserting the promotion of respect for human rights at the heart of our international relations.

To achieve this South Africa must:

Seek a form of ‘African differentiation' which aligns our country's practices with other democratic states in the sub-continent.
Actively seek to ensure that all AU members are required to subject themselves to the African Peer Review Mechanism and to recognize the jurisdiction of the African Human Rights Court, and to implement the provisions of the African Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
Seek to differentiate the membership of the Pan African Parliament between those states whose members are appointed from democratically elected legislatures and those which are not.
Use aid, trade and other preferential arrangement to disincentive undemocratic practices on the continent.
Decline to facilitate or recognize ‘power-sharing' and other post-conflict agreements which legitimize stolen or flawed electoral processes.
Use the United Nations to promote democratic values and protect the citizens of countries being opposed by, for example, such as supporting the implementation of sanctions against regimes which violate key international human rights provisions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human Rights and People's Rights.

We will actively engage the Minister throughout her term to ensure that South Africa's relations with the world live up to Nelson Mandela's pledge that ‘human rights will be the light that guides our foreign affairs'.