Venezuela’s ambassador to SA slams ‘US imperialist aggression’ after Maduro seized in Venezuela raid

Venezuela’s ambassador to South Africa, Carlos Feo Acevedo, on Tuesday accused the United States of “imperialist” and “colonialist” aggression.

He praised Pretoria for condemning Washington’s actions and calling for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

He was speaking at the 31st annual Joe Slovo commemoration in Soweto on Tuesday January 6.

Former housing minister Slovo, who was a commander of the ANC's military wing Umkhonto weSizwe, died on January 6 1995.

Acevedo said South Africa’s stance was consistent with international law and the UN Charter.

“We appreciate this great position,” he said. 

“It is in keeping with the principles of South Africa - respecting international law, the UN Charter and the legal framework that allows countries to live in peace and community.”

Acevedo claimed that the international legal framework was broken two days earlier by a US military intervention in Venezuela, which he said resulted in deaths among Venezuelan military personnel, including members of the presidential security team.

He said that President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been kidnapped during the operation.

“Yes, we have been struck, we have been hit, we have been humiliated,” Acevedo said. 

“But we are not defeated. We will never be defeated.”

He said Venezuela’s institutions remained intact and that public morale was strong, vowing continued resistance to Washington’s actions.

“They cannot rule our country, they cannot rule our oil, they cannot decide on our land or our mineral resources,” he said. 

“The Bolivarian revolution is still going on and growing stronger.”

Maduro, 63, appeared in a New York federal court on Monday, pleading not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges, two days after being detained by US forces in a raid on his home in Caracas, according to US authorities.

“I’m innocent. I’m not guilty,” Maduro told the court through an interpreter, saying he had been captured at his residence on Saturday and brought to the United States against his will.

Flores also pleaded not guilty. 

A judge ordered the couple held in custody and set a new hearing for 17 March.

US officials said the operation involved airstrikes on Caracas, backed by warplanes and naval forces. Maduro’s former deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, has since been sworn in as interim president.

President Donald Trump previously said the United States was now “in charge” in Venezuela and intended to take control of the country’s oil industry. 

He dismissed the prospect of new elections in the near term and said Washington would work with Rodríguez’s administration if it complied with US demands on oil policy.

The United States and the European Union have long accused Maduro of rigging elections - most recently in 2024 - jailing opponents and presiding over widespread corruption.

On Monday, IOL News reported that former South African ambassador to the United States Welile Nhlapo also condemned Trump’s actions, calling them “unacceptable” and a violation of international law.

“They amount to bullying and place Washington on the wrong side of the UN Charter, particularly the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Nhlapo said.

He added that the move may also have breached US domestic law. 

“Only Congress can authorise military action against a foreign sovereign state. Congress was not notified and did not give permission,” he said.

Nhlapo warned the developments marked “a very dangerous moment”, saying the world risked sliding back into rigid spheres of influence.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL Politics