By: Natasha Archary
DA Leader John Steenhuisen has been slammed for his visit to the Ukraine amid huge strife in South Africa.
The opposition leader will be on a 6-day tour of the Ukraine to share evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin has committed war crimes.
In a post shared to his social media, Steenhuisen’s trip to the war-torn country comes after the DA launched a petition calling for the South African government to take decisive action against Russia.
This after South Africa maintained its stance of abstaining from the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
There is irrefutable evidence that Putin has committed war crimes in Ukraine and should be held accountable. Lives and livelihoods have been lost.
— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) May 2, 2022
In South Africa, many are already battling to feed their families and this war will further drive up food and fuel prices. pic.twitter.com/duTzgP7Rji
Steenhuisen says his trip is a “fact-finding” mission in the Ukraine to see for himself what the effects of the war is.
According to the opposition leader, seeing first-hand what the knock-on effects of the war will be on the country was necessary.
“Firstly, to get the facts out for myself and there’s only way to do and that is to go see for myself and not rely on reports. The second thing is to assess what the impact is going to have on Africa and in particular on what is preventing goods and services from Ukraine from getting to Africa and South Africa.”
📹 DA Leader, @jsteenhuisen, has now arrived in Kyiv the capital of Ukraine.
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) May 2, 2022
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is devastating, innocent people are being attacked and killed.
The effects of this war will be felt by many globally and in SA as the cost of living continues to rise. pic.twitter.com/rXvfvaJTV6
However, Steenhuisen’s trip has been criticised by South Africans who feel he’s ignored the plight of the people in his own country to “play house” with the people of Ukraine.
John Steenhuisen was also slammed for using taxpayer’s money to travel to the Ukraine for what many South Africans are calling a public ploy.
KZN is hit by floods resulting in the displacement of 40k people & over 400 deaths, ESKOM is teetering on a brink of collapse, immigration crisis has triggered tensions in SA & unemployment has reached crisis levels but John Steenhuisen thought it was best time for globetrotting.
— Corruption-Hater 🦅🇿🇦🦁 (@MadiBoity) May 2, 2022
John Steenhuisen has gone to #Ukraine. Was this a Matric move or a PHD move. You can vote in the tweet below. pic.twitter.com/uLITE1SkIb
— Africa Research Desk (@MightiJamie) May 1, 2022
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