Stand up for Democracy in Uganda

Statement by Ryan Smith MP – DA Spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Ronald Lamola, and the South African government at large to reject the captured Ugandan general election, held yesterday 15 January 2026, amidst widespread reports of flagrant state interference and rampant electoral irregularities.

It is South Africa’s duty as a regional advocate for, and custodian of, liberal democratic values to condemn this worrying assault on the right to free and unhindered suffrage.

Minister Lamola, as the custodian of our constitutional values on the international stage, cannot relegate himself to the sidelines of Uganda’s electoral collapse as a bystander in Africa’s democratic backslide.

South Africa’s silence in this matter only renders us complicit in the capture of democracies by despots across the continent.

Widespread reports of internet blackouts, state-sponsored military surveillance, and the harassment of opposition leaders including the alleged house arrest of opposition leader, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu colloquially known as Bobi Wine, have once again mired Uganda’s general election in controversy.

These disturbing developments have rightfully been condemned by the United Nations (UN) who expressed deep concern over the muzzling of dissenting voices and the suspension of activity of at least 10 non-governmental organisations operating in Uganda.

The people of Uganda cannot be invited to vote in a process where the outcome is predetermined, and where democracy becomes a hostage situation at the ballot box.

It is clear that the Ugandan election is once again an exercise in futility where security forces are election observers, state officials are campaigners, and ballot papers are merely ornamental.

The DA condemns this democratic farce and notes, with equal concern, Minister Lamola’s deafening silence on the matter.

Minister Lamola and DIRCO’s refusal to speak out does not represent neutrality, but rather the surrender of South Africa’s constitutional values and international credibility.

DIRCO should give up any lingering pretense that our foreign policy is guided by principle rather than the ANC’s political discomfort.

The DA will not allow South Africa to normalise democratic collapse on the African continent, especially when many African countries stood in solidarity with our own people in our fight for democracy over several decades.

South Africa deserves a foreign policy that can recognise and condemn a rigged election when it sees it, and that speaks out in support of universal liberty for all Africans.