If the FF Plus gets its way, Maj. Gen. Wally Rhoode, head of pres. Cyril Ramaphosa’s security team, shortly before the parliamentary portfolio committee on police must report to explain what exactly led to the “peacekeeping fiasco” at a Polish airport last week.
RNews earlier reported that nearly 40 people, including additional security and support staff and reporters, were confined to a plane in Warsaw for hours due to, among other things, a dispute with the South Africans over firearms permits.
As a result, they missed the first leg of Ramaphosa’s and other African leaders’ peace mission to Ukraine and Russia.
One of the problems was that not everyone in the security team could show original permits for their firearms and only had copies of them. Polish authorities apparently even wanted to confiscate the security team’s firearms and equipment at one stage.
Meanwhile, News24 reported that the security team simply “disregarded” warnings about permits to take the items to Poland.
“They were apparently pointed out pertinently to the documentary requirements to take certain goods and personnel on the trip. This warning was disregarded,” says Dr. Pieter Groenewald, leader of the FF Plus.
“Nevertheless, Maj. Gen. At Chopin Airport, Rhoode held an impromptu media conference on the plane’s steps and accused Poland of racism. With these statements Maj. Gen. Rhoode ventured into the political arena.
“It does not befit a member of the police to make such statements and he must account for them.”
Groenewald says there must also be clarity about why such a large contingent of security personnel was taken with them and what the reasons are for the weapons that were brought along.
“I will ask the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, if a permit was issued for the weapons and he must say which and how many weapons and ammunition were taken with him.
“What happened here is to be expected from planning where the ANC government is involved. It is nevertheless an embarrassment for the whole of South Africa and the country and its people are owed an answer.”
Peace mission ‘important, historic’
Not everyone was critical and the peace mission also elicited a positive response, including from the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci), which described it as “important and historic”.
“The ten point plan that Pres. Ramaphosa presented to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski and Russian President Vladimir Putin was well thought out and presented with humility and zeal.
“This war has already entangled most of Europe in the face of economic and other sanctions. It also had a negative effect on South Africa in relation to the price of commodities and value chain disruptions,” says Alan Mukoki, Sacci’s CEO.
“We wish Pres. Congratulations to Ramaphosa and his leadership for putting South Africa and Africa on the international stage to find solutions in Europe. Yes, there may well be opponents who will question the country’s involvement in international affairs while we have other pressing domestic priorities.
“Some have also naively questioned the costs associated with such a trip and initiative.
“However, it should be common ground that investment in peace cannot be reduced to a matter of rand and cents. The negative economic effects that the war had and the disruption of the global trading environment cannot be underestimated.”
Mukoki says all efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine and other countries must be welcomed and supported.
