If moral authority were a currency, the department of international relations & co-operation (Dirco) would be bankrupt. Yet it continues to spend recklessly, never guided by principle, only by ideology.
This hypocrisy was on full display when Dirco rushed to demand a special UN Security Council sitting within 24 hours of the US arresting Venezuela’s illegitimate strongman, Nicolás Maduro — a man accused of rigging elections, presiding over the flight of millions of refugees and nurturing ties with terrorist groups.
At precisely the same time, civilian protests erupted across Iran as ordinary people rose up against soaring living costs and collapsing infrastructure. The response of Iran’s clerical regime was brutal and swift. Estimates suggest that between 2,000 and 12,000 civilians were killed. A massacre by any measure.
From the ANC and Dirco? Deafening silence. This selective outrage exposes a dangerous truth: South Africa’s foreign policy is no longer rooted in human rights but in loyalty to ideologically convenient regimes. It inevitably raises uncomfortable questions about Iran’s alleged financial ties to the ANC and whether Dirco now operates as a proxy rather than an independent custodian of South Africa’s interests.
As elections loom in 2026 and 2029, voters are watching closely. South Africa truly deserves better.
Daniel Jacobi
By e-mail
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