/ 27 February 2023

Brics, naval exercises and the chance to pierce autocrats’ bubbles

Putin Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

With the Brics summit soon to start, and the naval exercises with Russia and China in the background, it is fair to say South Africa does not have the best image as a liberal democracy right now. However, South Africa being one of the few open democracies on speaking terms with Russia is not entirely a bad thing and presents both the government and us as citizens with unique opportunities. As citizens, we could also do with a reminder of why our freedoms are so important.  

The foundational freedoms on which South Africa’s democracy is built — freedom of expression, freedom of information and a free press — were fought for by generations of citizens. An autocratic state fought against these freedoms with every inhumane method they could muster. Some of these methods have been used against journalists and researchers in Russia and China.

The autocratic, if not totalitarian, regimes of Russia and China are not used to citizens exercising such rights and freedoms. Protesters in Russia against the invasion of Ukraine have been hit with some of the most draconian crackdowns in recent memory, with some facing prison sentences of up to 15 years. We have a unique opportunity to demonstrate to these visiting leaders how much we cherish our freedoms and our democracy. We can and should try to pierce the autocrats’ bubbles and give voice to the reality they might not hear from their own subservient media. 

When South Africa did not vote to condemn Russia’s invasion, the country demonstrated its strong sense of independence and unwillingness to be swayed by Western sentiment. A silver lining of this independence should be that criticism of, and public anger over, Russia’s actions cannot be simply brushed aside by President Vladimir Putin as “Western propaganda” — either we are independently minded or we are Western puppets, we can’t be both. 

South African and African history only too clearly demonstrates how invading sovereign states never leads to positive outcomes. Some of the darkest moments in our own regional history have come from autocratic governments attempting to use military force to assert control over free peoples. For those free people of South Africa who are opposed to Russian actions, we now have a unique opportunity to directly express opposition to Mr Putin that he is unlikely to see anywhere else for some time.  

SA’s neutral stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is undermined by the decision to host naval exercises with Russia and China. As far back as the Simonstown Agreement of 1955, the South African government has assumed responsibility for the security of shipping routes in the region. Numerous countries, including the United States, have conducted similar exercises with the South African Navy in the recent past, which is important to bear in mind when commentating on the current exercises. For, while it may sound like a good policy to not conduct military exercises with any state that is currently fighting a war, such a policy would mean almost no co-operation with the US and other Nato states.

Reading the publicly available information about the current naval exercises, the primary interest concerns anti-piracy training, which would be in keeping with strategic obligations. Nevertheless, the public has the right to know key details about this — and any future — exercises. In particular, did South Africa invite Russia and China to participate or did they request it? When was the decision made to host such exercises? Were there any objections and how were they handled? 

More generally though, as democratic citizens, we ought to be pressing our leaders all the time. President Cyril Ramaphosa needs to be more transparent with us regarding the reasoning of government policies and answer questions posed by the media, not solely in parliament. 

The daily press briefings during the worst periods of the Covid pandemic were an integral part of the government’s response and handling of the national state of disaster. The relevant ministers answering questions from the media was crucial too, however, the president did not participate in such exercises. 

As much as we might have appreciated the “family meetings” about Covid regulations, there was little direct interaction between the president and the media. Living in democratic South Africa we have every right to know the reasons for the government’s decisions and the president has a special responsibility in this regard.

It is not unreasonable for a democratically elected president to explain and answer questions regarding any matter of government policy, not solely the controversial ones. By all means, those who oppose SA’s stance and Russia’s actions should openly and freely express themselves; similarly, President Ramaphosa ought to be open and engaging with the public about the government’s policies.

Dr Simon Taylor is an Extraordinary Researcher at NWU and founder of Ana Nzinga Research. He is formerly of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation, and holds a MSocSci from UCT and a PhD from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He writes in his own capacity.