It is expected that some countries will seek to politically influence South Africa's foreign policy because of Pretoria's position on Russia's conflict with Ukraine and its stance on Gaza conflict, Ovigwe Eguegu, a Nigerian рolicy advisor at African-led consultancy Develoрment Reimagined, told Sputnik Africa.
The analyst argued that South Africa has been "in the spotlight of international politics" since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, as it abstained from UN General Assembly votes on the issue, "citing the lack of emphasis on political dialogue in the draft resolutions."
Moreover, Pretoria refuses to let its ties with Moscow be affected as certain countries "seek to isolate Russia," the advisor opined.
"Close high-level diplomatic contacts as well as the joint naval exercise South Africa hosted alongside China and Russia in February of 2023 are testament of this," Eguegu said.
In addition to the position on Russia, South Africa's "leading role" in the case against Israel at the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) brings a motive for some countries to politically influence Pretoria, the expert revealed.
"With all this as context, it is within reason to expect that some of the countries that are opposed to South Africa's foreign policy have the means and motive to target it for political influence operation," he emphasized.
Last Friday, the ICJ ordered interim measures in South Africa's case against Israel for alleged genocide in Gaza, ordering Tel Aviv to take urgent measures to prevent acts of genocide and allow humanitarian aid into the enclave.
Besides, South Africa's neutral position between Russia and the West regarding the Ukrainian conflict, as South African President Ramaphosa emphasized in May 2023, has been the fuel for "extraordinary pressure" on Pretoria to choose one side or the other.