South Africa’s International Relations Minister, Ronald Lamola, stated on Thursday that the
United States cannot legitimately criticize South Africa for engaging with Iran and China. Lamola
pointed out that Washington itself continuously engages with both nations, making its criticism
contradictory. He emphasized that South Africa will not be pressured into taking sides in global
geopolitical contests and will firmly defend its sovereign right to pursue bilateral relations with
countries across the spectrum.
The minister’s remarks were a direct response to criticism from Reuben Brigety, the US
Ambassador to South Africa. Brigety had claimed on social media that recent high-profile
diplomatic visits—specifically, Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s visit to Beijing and Iranian
Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani’s visit to Pretoria—undermined South Africa’s stated
foreign policy of non-alignment.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the US ambassador had challenged South Africa's diplomatic
decisions, writing, “These are choices, they speak for themselves.”