There is a ‘palpable tension and brittleness in the air,’says DA leader John Steenhuisen as he visits war-stricken Ukraine. (Photos: supplied)
The first signs of an ongoing war were the “large number of refugees” at the Poland border as John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance, with his assigned security officer and translator, entered Ukraine on Monday (2 May).
It is about 30km outside of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, that “blown up tanks, burned up military equipment, heavily damaged infrastructure, completely destroyed buildings, shops, hospitals and schools” leave marks of a raging conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
In Kyiv, where metro stations are turned into underground shelters in the event of missile strikes, people are trying to go about their daily lives. However, there “is a palpable tension and brittleness in the air. And of course, the occasional air raid siren goes off, and everyone has to make their way indoors or into some form of shelter until the ‘all clear’ is given”.
In an interview with Mail & Guardian on Thursday morning, Steenhuisen recalls his first few days travelling through Ukraine. Russia invaded this country on 24 February.
Steenhuisen’s “fact-finding mission” in Ukraine was met with widespread public criticism and has been described by the ANC as hypocritical.
“It is myopic and one dimensional,” says Steenhuisen, responding to the criticism.
“For the last two years, I’ve been on the road in KwaZulu-Natal and I’ve been everywhere where there has been a disaster, including [being] the only politician on the ground in the July riots last year. Recently we visited poverty-stricken rural areas in the Eastern Cape.
“I think it’s immature and myopic”.
The backlash does not seem to have budge Steenhuisen from his six-day mission as he has met various government officials, including the chairperson of the foreign relations committee, the mayors of Kyiv and Lviv and the former president, together with business leaders and university officials. He won’t be meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky as a planned meeting is a very high risk for the Ukrainian leader.
He found discussions “illuminating” and largely focused on “what are the preconditions for a pathway to peace [and] what the impact is on Africa and South Africa to understand how our supply chains have been affected.
“The people are very keen to move towards peace and everyone wants to get their lives back. But what’s become very clear is that Russia [has] to get back over its borders before you can continue the (peace) discussions. You can’t have peace and decent terms while your cities are under attack.”
Steenhuisen debunks Russia’s claim that it only attacks military targets and “that 99.9% of the damage in Bucha is civilian homes, apartment buildings, schools, medical facilities, and small businesses”.
Bucha is one of the towns where war crimes against Russia are being investigated after overwhelming evidence of atrocities committed by the Russian Armed Forces during the invasion and occupation of the town came to light.
Steenhuisen witnessed a mass grave at a site where it is reported that more than 80 women, children and men, all civilians, were massacred by Russian forces.
The DA leader recalls a conversation with a resident in Bucha, who “described how their neighbour was simply shot for coming out and having a cigarette on their front balcony … a convoy just drove past and shot the neighbour”.
“It is difficult to witness and to see the sadness and sorrow that exists around people in Bucha.”
However he adds that there is “a deep resilience from the Ukrainians. There’s a strong sense of solidarity. The impression I’ve got is this is a very brave population, who are not going to go quietly in giving themselves over to the Russian Confederation and that resilience and spirit typified by particularly some of the leaders is very encouraging to see.”
From a South African perspective, Steenhuisen believes the country needs to put more pressure on Russia to reach peace agreements.
“South Africa needs to push more for peace, put more pressure on Vladimir Putin to cease fire and to withdraw troops in Ukraine and to enter peace negotiations.”
The deficit in food and commodities caused by the Ukraine-Russia war in Africa and South Africa will soon, if it has not already, come down on consumers having to pay more for food and services. Steenhuisen argues the government has a role to play in cutting down on everyday commodities, making it possible for citizens to have access to basic products like sugar, protein products and more affordable fuel prices.
From where he talks to the M&G in Kyiv, Steenhuisen says, “everyday life is continuing and the restaurants are open. People are on the streets walking to and from work and tending to what they need to. But there’s an air of tension because nobody knows what’s coming next.”
[/membership]