Our loyalty is not to South Africa, it is to South Africans!!!
Global (08 November) – A powerful video of US President-Elect Senator Joe Biden speaking about apartheid South Africa has resurfaced and is going viral.
The clip dates back to 23 July 1986, during a senate hearing involving Reagan’s then-Secretary of State, George Schultz and shows Biden’s longstanding belief in fighting against inequality.
Biden is seen passionately speaking out in support of the majority black population of South Africa, and against the oppressive apartheid regime.
“We must not become part of South Africa’s problem, we must remain part of their solution, we must not aim to impose ourselves, our solutions, or our favourites in South Africa… Dammit, we have favourites in South Africa. The favourites in South Africa are the people that are being repressed by an ugly white regime. We have favourites!
Our loyalty is not to South Africa, it is to South Africans. And the South Africans are majority black. They are being excoriated!
It is not to some stupid puppet government over there. It is not to the Afrikaaners’ regime. We have no loyalty to them. We have no loyalty to South Africa. It’s to South Africans.”
Senator Biden describes the apartheid government as “repulsive” and “repugnant”, and how the black population is forced to take up arms after years of oppression.
Biden’s passionate speech preceded the creation of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 which was a law enacted by the United States Congress.
The law imposed sanctions against South Africa and stated five preconditions for lifting the sanctions that would essentially end the system of apartheid, which the latter was under at the time. Most of the sanctions were repealed in July 1991, after South Africa took steps towards meeting the preconditions of the act, with the final vestiges of the act being repealed in November 1993.
Watch the powerful video below: