The South African Communist Party (SACP) is set to stage protests today against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s official visit to South Africa.

Zelenskyy will meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, a move which the SACP has strongly condemned.

The Presidency says the visit provides both countries with an opportunity to further bilateral cooperation and explore areas of cooperation with the objective of supporting efforts to bring about lasting peace in the Russia-Ukraine war.

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SACP says two demonstrations will be held.

One will take place in Soweto, Kliptown at the Freedom Charter Monument, and the other at the Ukrainian Embassy in Pretoria.

Gauteng SACP spokesperson Nkosithethile Bonga says: “Zelenskyy and Ukraine are a proxy of the imperialist NATO, a regime that fuels war, flames global divisions and deepens the militarisation of international relations. We want to point out to the undemocratic nature of Ukraine – this is a government that has banned opposition parties, attacked workers, criminalised communism and glorified Nazi collaborators. We don’t wish SA to be aligned to such. We wish for SA to be on the right side of history and also for it to uphold its values non-alignment, anti-colonialism and global justice.”

PODCAST | SACP to stage protests over the Ukrainian President’s visit to South Africa: