Mbalula lambasts Poland over disembarking issues
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says it's disturbing that Polish officials did not permit a South African delegation to leave an aircraft for almost 24-hours in Warsaw.
About 120 people, including members of the presidential security detail and journalists, were meant to accompany President Cyril Ramaphosa to Ukraine for an African-led peace mission.
They, however, weren’t allowed to disembark when they landed at an airport in Warsaw on Thursday, when – according to South African officials - issues over weapon permits cropped up.
They finally emerged from the SAA aircraft later on Friday.
Poland’s foreign ministry issued a statement to say the aircraft was "detained" because of a failure to comply with standard entry procedures.
It said that "dangerous goods were on board, which South African representatives did not have permission to bring in”.
Mbalula said that is unacceptable.
"A country like Poland will act in such a manner that will not allow, on the basis of just human rights, people to disembark from an aeroplane. Only after 24 hours that they were actually allowed. It is disturbing," Mbalula says.
Mbalula addressed the media at an ANC workshop on the South African limited Amendment Bill in Durban on Saturday.
He said South Africa is unapologetic about its neutral stance in the Russia-Ukraine war and will not accept any form of oppression.
"People say we don't take a step. We have taken a stand against the war and that is what is important. We have been non-aligned in terms of this and we have been accused for our anti-war position, to a point where we have been accused of being pro-Russia. We have never been pro-Russia,” Mbalula said.
