South African Communist Party general secretary Solly Mapaila has announced that the party will lead a march to the United States embassy on Thursday, 8 January, in protest against the US operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Speaking on Tuesday at the 31st annual Joe Slovo commemoration held at Avalon Cemetery in Soweto, Mapaila confirmed the planned protest and called on alliance partners and South Africans to take part.
He said the developments in Venezuela had deeply unsettled him, adding that he had struggled to sleep for two days following the incident.
Mapaila described the detention of Maduro and Flores as an abduction and called for their immediate release.
He also criticised the global role of the United States, arguing that its influence was declining and increasingly reliant on military and financial power rather than productive economic strength.
He pointed to the rise of alternative global power centres such as China, Asia, Eurasian integration and the BRICS bloc as evidence of shifting geopolitical dynamics.
The comments come amid heightened international tension following a US operation in Caracas that reportedly involved airstrikes supported by warplanes and naval forces.
Maduro, 63, appeared in a New York federal court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to charges including drug trafficking.
Flores also entered a not guilty plea. Both remain in US custody, with their next court appearance scheduled for 17 March.
In the wake of the operation, Maduro’s former deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, has been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president.
US President Donald Trump has since stated that the United States was now in control in Venezuela and intended to take charge of the country’s oil industry, while ruling out new elections in the near future.
Earlier at the commemoration, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa strongly condemned the US actions, saying South Africa rejected Washington’s conduct and stood in solidarity with the Venezuelan people.
He called for the immediate release of Maduro and his wife and urged the United Nations Security Council to intervene to uphold international law and global peace.
Ramaphosa further warned that growing global instability, climate change and widening inequality highlighted the urgent need for a fairer and more just world order, rooted in political equality and social inclusion.
Facebook Comments