THE ANC STATEMENT ON THE MAIL AND GUARDIAN CLAIMS
28 March 2013
The ANC rejects with contempt the damaging and malicious claim by the Mail and Guardian that South African soldiers were sent to the Central African Republic to protect ANC business interest. We believe that this accusation is calculated to damage the image of the ANC and to sow distrust in noble decisions of the South African government that derive from public and transparent policies (see here).
We want to put it on record that the ANC as an organisation does not have business interests in CAR. Secondly, the deployment of soldiers in CAR was a government decision deriving from our foreign policy and endorsed by both the African Union and the United Nations. The ridiculous accusations by the Mail and Guardian insinuate that the South African government, the African Union and the United Nations collectively conspired in the interest of the ANC and sacrificed South African soldiers.
What is most disturbing with the accusation are blatant lies that suggest that a company linked to the ANC has business interest in CAR. We have established that the said company has no business activity in CAR. While their accusation is false, we believe that South Africans have a right to do business anywhere in the world including the continent of Africa.