The ANC has called for the immediate release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, condemning what it describes as United States aggression against Caracas.
The party accused Washington of acting imperially and said it would work with progressive forces at home and abroad to defend Venezuelan sovereignty, amid ongoing tensions between South Africa and the US.
While preparing for the party’s January 8 anniversary celebrations, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told journalists on Tuesday that US pressure on Venezuela amounted to a direct assault on democracy and international law. Mbalula framed the dispute as part of a global struggle against unilateral power.
“Our understanding of what has happened to Venezuela can be summed up as nothing else but imperialist aggression,” Mbalula said, accusing the US of positioning itself as the world’s policeman.
He referenced the ANC’s Freedom Charter, which calls for peace and friendship among nations, and said the party would collaborate with “all progressive forces” to counter what it views as interference. Such actions should never be normalised or tolerated internationally, Mbalula said.
His call comes after US forces captured Maduro and Flores in Caracas and brought them to New York to face federal charges, including narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking. Both pleaded not guilty at their first court appearance, with Maduro insisting he remains Venezuela’s legitimate president. A follow-up hearing is set for 17 March.
Mbalula argued that sanctions and confrontational measures have severe humanitarian consequences and violate human dignity.
“The African National Congress condemns the recent acts of aggression directed at the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which constitutes a serious violation of international law, national sovereignty, and the principles governing peaceful relations between states,” he said.
“The kidnapping of Comrade President Nicolas Maduro, his wife Comrade Cilia Flores, and son Nicolas Ernesto Maduro undermines the United Nations Charter and threatens global peace and stability at a time when the world requires cooperation, restraint, and dialogue.”
ANC and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa also echoed the criticism, describing the US actions as unacceptable and also calling for the immediate release of Maduro and his wife.
Speaking at the 31st annual Joe Slovo commemoration at Avalon Cemetery in Soweto, Ramaphosa said the ANC would continue its support for international countries just as the late anti-apartheid activist and communist leader had done in his time.
Slovo who had served as commander of Umkhonto weSizwe, the ANC’s armed wing, during the struggle against apartheid, and was a housing minister in democratic South Africa, died on 6 January, 1995. He was praised as an internationalist who fought not only for South Africa’s liberation but also for oppressed communities across Africa and the world.
“He did not only fight for the liberation of the people of South Africa, but for the people of our continent and for people across the world,” Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.
He said the party’s international work continues to reflect Slovo’s principles. “It is this principle that continues to guide our international work, inspired by the views, the principles and the positions that comrade Joe Slovo took.”
Ramaphosa said the party’s support for Venezuela reflects South Africa’s broader commitment to self-determination, alongside solidarity with the people of Palestine, Western Sahara, and Cuba.
“The party remains committed to a multipolar, rules-based international order grounded in equality, sovereignty and solidarity between nations,” he said.
South African Communist Party general secretary Solly Mapaila said the organisation would march to the US embassy on Thursday in solidarity with Venezuela.
“All the alliance components, everyone in South Africa is invited. The US should never know peace in our country when they destabilise other countries,” Mapaila said.
The statement comes amid a tense relationship between Pretoria and Washington, largely over false claims of a white genocide in South Africa by President Donald Trump. While the two countries maintain deep trade links and diplomatic engagement, disagreements have grown in recent years over global conflicts, Pretoria’s non-aligned foreign policy, and Washington’s scrutiny of South Africa’s international partnerships.
Trade and investment remain key pillars of the bilateral relationship. The US is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners, with American firms active in manufacturing, finance, technology, and energy. South African companies also maintain a presence in the US market.
Despite economic ties, Washington has criticised South Africa’s foreign policy, particularly its neutral stance on conflicts involving Russia and China, and its growing engagement with non-Western powers.
Officials in Pretoria have defended the country’s approach, saying it is rooted in constitutional principles and the nation’s history of colonialism and apartheid. Government representatives argue that neutrality and dialogue are essential to resolving international disputes.
