As the African National Congress (ANC) expressed confidence in the African peace initiatives led by President Cyril Ramaphosa and seven other heads of State, it also called for a reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and the inclusion of the African continent in the global decision-making body.

ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile was speaking at the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (Brics) Political Parties Dialogue in Boksburg, on Tuesday, where he said the party believes that through inclusive multilateralism, with which all Brics members would in principle be aligned, institutions of global governance should be reformed, especially the UNSC.

Mashatile explained that although governments shared a common vision of partnership for mutual accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism, each government had different levels of economic development and geopolitical positioning “in a world increasingly trying to return ebullience and polarisation of the Cold War”.

Mashatile noted that the ANC was encouraged by the show of interest from other countries to join Brics, which he said illustrated that many of the world’s citizens saw their future in “a truly multipolar world”, which represented global diversity.

“Much of the world now sees survival within institutions such as Brics. This is an affirmation of alternatives to the unipolar world and its effects on the world. The combined influence and potential of Brics cannot be understated, [and] for this reason we should expect the fact that it will have detractors who will, from time to time, throw spanners in the works in order to frustrate us from relealising our goal,” said Mashatile.

RUSSIAN WAR

Meanwhile, Mashatile reiterated the ANC’s call for a peaceful solution to the Russia/Ukraine conflict by initiating dialogue between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The ANC echoed its anti-war stance which it had asserted since the war began more than a year ago.

“We are for the silencing of the guns in Ukraine [and for] the achievement of genuine peace and the peaceful co-existence between Russia, Ukraine and the neighbourhood,” he explained.