Cape Town - Muslim leaders from Cape Town on Thursday night met with Russia’s consul-general at the Castle of Good Hope to discuss the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The meeting, a joint initiative of the Russian consulate-general and the Cape Heritage Museum, was hosted by museum curator Igshaan Higgins and also attended by members of the South African Students Congress (Sasco) from CPUT and UCT.
Councillor Shameemah Salie (Al Jamah-ah Party) said the meeting served as an opportunity for South Africans to have dialogue with the Russian consulate.
Salie said the meeting highlighted “the Western media propaganda attempting to block the true reality of the conflict” and the continued spreading of “a distorted narrative by the DA’s Zionist-supported leadership”.
She said: “It is time that we all start opening our eyes, for within our midst we have media propaganda infiltrating and spreading narratives and mischief in our own country.”
Salie said it was time for South Africans to educate themselves on international issues and not just domestic ones.
Executive member of the Cape Town Ulama Board Shaykh Sayed Ridhwaan said: “Regarding Russia-Ukraine’s political and social situation, we’ve heard a lot of conflicting information.
“Some news outlets portrayed Russia as a place of corruption and human rights violations, while others portrayed it in a more positive light.”
He said they decided to give the Russian consulate a hearing in search of the truth and that the discussions they held gave them a deeper insight into the situation on the ground.
Aleksei Malenko, the consul-general of the Russian Federation in Cape Town, said: “We were glad to hold a lively discussion with representatives from various community entities, political and student organisations who are keen to think for themselves in trying to find out an alternative viewpoint despite the Western propaganda.”
A spokesperson for the Russian consulate in Cape Town said the initiative had facilitated healthy discussions in a bid to promote mutual understanding, social cohesion and respectful dialogue.
The programme began with the Russian diplomats offering their insights into the reasons behind the conflict in Ukraine and the complexity of the situation.
Those in attendance also watched a documentary that a spokesperson for the consulate said “exposed the excesses committed by the Kyiv regime and featured a witness to the destruction of civilian infrastructure.”
On Friday, International Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor and her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, held talks at the Ukrainian Embassy in Lisbon.
Minister Pandor briefed Minister Kuleba about the envisaged mission to Kyiv and Moscow by a committee of six African heads of state and government, among them President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Minister Kuleba told Minister Pandor that Ukraine welcomed the initiative and was looking forward to receiving the African leaders in Kyiv.