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The Democratic Alliance (DA) today calls on President Zuma to immediately expel Libya’s ambassador to South Africa, Dr. Abdullah Alzubedi, from the country. Our call comes in the wake of yesterday’s resolution from the United Nations (UN) Security Council, which said that dictator Muammar Gadaffi’s violent suppression ‘may amount to crimes against humanity.’

Ambassador Alzubedi is the envoy of a murderer who has now been unanimously denounced by the UN Security Council. His credentials should be revoked immediately.

Meeting in special session yesterday, the Security Council passed Resolution 1970. It imposes an asset freeze on Gadaffi and an embargo on the sale of arms to Libya while also referring the violent suppression of the Libyan people to the International Criminal Court. These actions will hopefully go some way to resolving the crisis for the Libyan people.

The DA welcomes the remarks made by South Africa’s envoy to the Security Council immediately after the vote. Ambassador Baso Sangqu referred to the world’s dismay at ‘the untold atrocities’ in Libya. Indeed, the international community has almost spoken with one voice in protest against Gadaffi’s murderous actions.

The Zuma administration, however, remains silent. Neither President Zuma nor his minister of international relations and cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, have publicly criticized Gadaffi. This silence is a direct contradiction of the administration’s supposed commitment to human rights and democracy.

It is time for the Zuma administration to act. Ambassadors are the representatives of their respective countries and their interests and speak for their respective governments in their absence. Many Libyan diplomats have demonstrated that they can no longer represent Gadaffi’s regime, including Libya’s ambassadors to the UN, the Arab League and the US.