Ukraine wants to reopen ties with liberation vets

Ukraine says it is open to engage with members of the liberation struggle who trained and studied in the country in their battle against apartheid to revive their relationship and joint memories about the era.

- Eric Mthobeli Naki

This emerged during an interview with the Ukrainian ambassador extraordinaire and plenipotentiary to South Africa, Liubov Abravitova, in Pretoria last week. Ukraine is one of the countries that supported the African struggle for liberation and democracy under the umbrella of the former Soviet Union.

The support included arming different liberation movements in sub-Saharan Africa to end apartheid and colonialism in their respective countries, including South Africa.

The Soviet support, along with anti-apartheid solidarity efforts worldwide, contributed towards putting pressure that subsequently forced the white apartheid regime to negotiate with the liberation movement toward 1990 after unbanning the organisations.

Abravitova, who is an ambassador to eight countries in southern Africa, said Ukraine prided itself on having supported the liberation struggles of most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa, under the umbrella of the former Soviet Union.