Pretoria – South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has reiterated the country’s solidarity with the people of Palestine and Western Sahara as they continue their struggle for independence and freedom.
The Minister on Friday delivered a statement at the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Margarita, Venezuela.
"The cause of Palestinian statehood has become our own… The illegal settlement activity and daily violations of human rights of the Palestinians cannot be ignored,” said Minister Nkoana-Mashabane.
She echoed the late former President Nelson Mandela’s words, saying, “South Africa will not be free as long as Palestine is not free”.
Minister Nkoana-Mashabane called on fellow NAM member states not to be indifferent to the plight of those appealing for decolonisation, independence, statehood and human rights.
"The cause of the people of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic remains unresolved. Surely the aspirations of an inalienable right for self-determination is not an unreasonable demand," she said.
Minister Nkoana-Mashabane also reiterated South Africa's calls for the reform of global political and financial institutions, saying their undemocratic nature perpetuates inequality and violates the principle of the sovereignty and equality of nations.
"… The principle of solidarity amount the countries of the south remains the only means towards countering these imbalances between nations," she said. - SAnews.gov.za
