South Africans in Venezuela 'safe' and accounted for, says Dirco
View of a destroyed bus at La Carlota air base in Caracas on January 3, 2026. President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro after bombing the capital Caracas and other cities in a dramatic climax to a months-long standoff between Trump and his Venezuelan arch-foe.
Image: Juan Barreto / AFP
South Africa has confirmed that all its citizens in Venezuela were safe amid heightened tensions following recent United States military action in the country.
Clayson Monyela, South Africa’s Head of Public Diplomacy, said the South African Embassy in Caracas remained in direct contact with South African nationals on the ground.
“The South African Embassy in Caracas (staff is safe) is in touch with all SA nationals in that country (mostly teachers) .... about 23. All accounted for and safe,” Monyela said.
He added that authorities would continue to closely track developments as a precaution.
“We’ll continue to monitor the situation which is currently reported as calm,” he said.
The confirmation comes after the United States carried out a military operation in Venezuela, escalating tensions in a country already grappling with prolonged political instability, economic hardship and international sanctions.
The operation has triggered international concern over its implications for regional stability and the safety of foreign nationals.
Pretoria has not announced any evacuation plans but has indicated that diplomatic and consular channels remain on alert should the security situation deteriorate.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) strongly condemned the US’ actions in Venezuela.
Dirco said Pretoria viewed the military strikes as a “manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations, which mandates that all Member States refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
It also called on the United Nations Security Council to convene urgently to address the situation, emphasising that the UN Charter does not authorise external military intervention in matters that fall within the domestic jurisdiction of a sovereign nation
The African Union said the complex internal challenges facing Venezuela can only be sustainably addressed through inclusive political dialogue among Venezuelans themselves.
"The African Union reaffirms its steadfast commitment to the fundamental principles of international law, including respect for the sovereignty of States, their territorial integrity, and the right of peoples to self-determination, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
"The African Union underscores the importance of dialogue, peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for constitutional and institutional frameworks, in a spirit of good neighbourliness, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence among nations."
Cape Times