Sovereignty Does Not Exempt the ANC From Criticism
The issue of sovereignty is central to the deteriorating state of relations between the Trump administration and the ANC.
Dr Ernst Roets, Director of Lex Libertas, clarified a key aspect of sovereignty in a recent address in Washington, DC. “Respect for sovereignty,” he noted, “is qualified by how a state treats its citizens. Laws and judgments which legitimize confiscation of property and which do not condemn chants of extermination cannot be uncritically regarded as a source from which justice springs. Writing inconsistencies into law does not convert them into justice.”
Roets’ remarks frame the standpoint of US Ambassador Bozell’s differences with the ANC. Trade favours are premised on terms and conditions. BEE is a failed, flawed and deeply discriminatory policy. It has created an obscenely avaricious black oligarchy driving up prices while fuelling dysfunctionalism and impoverishing the masses. Only the ANC and Marxists favour BEE, which is another reason why US policy condemns BEE.
Thus, sovereignty does not exempt the ANC from external criticism while at the same time affording it the right to criticize and condemn policies of other countries. In 2023, the ANC secretary-general Nomvula Mokanyane condemned Zionism, called for the removal of the Israeli embassy, and an economic boycott of Israel.
Then, of course, prodded by the Islamic dictatorship of Iran, the ANC laid a baseless charge of genocide against Israel at the ICJ. With the AGOA trade agreement up for review next month, ANC conduct is jeopardizing the economic welfare of the country. As such, last month’s restrictions on ANC individuals announced by Secretary of State Rubio are a welcome development.
