The South African anti-Ukraine lobby has intensified its campaign against the regime of Vladimir Zelensky which they accuse of war crimes including but not limited to the targeting of civilians and forcefully drafting Ukrainians into the army regardless of their age or health status.
The South African lobby accuses countries arming Ukraine and Israel of being complicit in war crimes and have embarked on campaigns to try and disrupt the flow of weaponry.
The lobby has among others engaged political parties to probe the activities of German company Rheinmetall which they accuse of diverting ammunition made at its South African operations to Ukraine and Israel in contravention of South African law which strictly prohibits the sale of arms to countries engaged in war.
This week a lone activist to Rheinmetall’s Boksburg factory to stage a protest against the company demanding that it stops shipping weapons to Ukraine and Israel causing a stir that resulted in his temporary detention by the police.
The 36 year old James Parker from Pretoria threatened to starve himself if Rheintmetall continued to supply arms to what he calls “murderous regimes” ( reference to Ukraine and Israel).
Following the confrontation with security personnel and the police Parker complained that the company was heavy-handed and could have received his memorandum ( written on a short statement) without violence. He believes the company espouses violence and hence its backing of countries in war.
“I witnessed first hand brutality of the company, instead of giving me food, I was sent to the police holding cell here in Boksburg. I am leaving today (Thursday) without any answers from Rheinmetall company on whether they are directly or indirectly selling arms to Ukraine, and Israel.I will continue to urge peace loving South Africans to call for the closure of this arms company in order to save the lives of innocent children in Palestine, and Russia, said Parker after being released.
Parliament is seized with the allegations against Rheinmetall and has held a series of hearings to get the full facts before instituting a full-scale probe.
Rheinmetall has already been sanctioned elsewhere in the world for supplying weapons to sanctioned armed groups and countries and EFF MP Carl Niehaus told the Parliamentary Defense Committee that South Africa should adapt a similarly harsh stance towards the company which is accused of shipping off munition under the guise of supplying Germany, the USA and other countries only to divert them to Ukraine and Israel.
“ Allowing Rheinmetall to supply munitions to Israel and Ukraine contradicts our vision of promoting a rules-based international order. Not doing anything makes us complicit in a genocide, we cannot do that, we must make sure the company is held accountable, Niehaus said.
On Thursday South Africa’s left leaning parties took to the streets in Pretoria to register objection to the presence of Ukraine President Voladimir Zelensky who visited the country on a state visit. Parties on the right led by the Democratic Alliance have maintained support for Israel and Ukraine including visiting both countries as well as lobbying for more ties with the West as opposed to BRICS-Plus countries.
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