LISTEN | Ramaphosa’s bold moments in global diplomacy

While not letting President Cyril Ramaphosa off the hook for failings in service delivery at home, there have been moments where he has stood firm on the global stage in high-stake situations, representing South Africa and the African continent with a mature approach.

SA ‘will not be bullied’

In recent days, Ramaphosa has found himself in the eye of the storm in some international issues. Rwandan President Paul Kagame confronted Ramaphosa over South Africa’s peacekeeping role amid the conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

He also faced backlash from US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk over the Expropriation Act he recently signed into law. The president responded in a composed and diplomatic manner, telling Trump the US provides little significant funding to South Africa aside from the Pepfar grant, which was recently stopped for HIV/Aids projects. Ramaphosa expressed his willingness to engage with Trump to address misunderstandings regarding the Expropriation Act.

In his state of the nation address on Thursday night, while referencing global political shifts and tensions, Ramaphosa said South Africa “will not be bullied”.

Though Ramaphosa faces significant domestic challenges, including poverty, crime, corruption and inequality, he has at times demonstrated resolve in tense global situations.

Listen to the highlights on the global stage:

June 2023: Ramaphosa at the New Global Financing Pact summit in France

During the New Global Financing Pact Summit in Paris in June 2023, Ramaphosa did not shy away from expressing the frustrations of African countries with the West. In his closing remarks to world leaders, he directly addressed the issue, telling them Africa is not a continent of beggars.

“We felt like we were beggars when it came to vaccine availability,” Ramaphosa said.

“We needed access to vaccines but the northern hemisphere countries had bought all the vaccines in the world and they were hogging them and they didn’t want to release them at the time when we needed them most.

“We felt like we were begging and at times it felt like there would just be droppings from the table. We resented that and it got worse when we said we want to manufacture our own vaccines. When we went to the World Trade Organisation, there was a lot of resistance, enormous resistance.

“We kept saying: 'What is more important? Life or profits by your big pharmaceutical companies?' That, too, generated and deepened the disappointment and resentment on our part, because we felt like life in the northern hemisphere is much more important than life in the global south. These are issues that need to be addressed.”

September 2023: UN General Assembly in New York

At the UN General Assembly in September 2023, Ramaphosa delivered a strong message about disparity in global priorities. He expressed concern that while the international community spends too much time on war, it fails to support efforts to address the basic needs of billions of people around the world.

“Africa is least responsible for the climate damage that has been caused and yet it bares the greatest burden. Centuries after the end of the slave trade, decades after the end of the colonial exploitation of Africa’s resources, the people of our continent are again bearing the cost of industrialisation of the North and the development of the wealthy nations of the world.

“This is a price the people of Africa are no longer prepared to pay.  Many countries in the north count their assets in the mineral resources that are beneath African soil. The wealth of Africa belongs to Africans.”

December 2023: SA takes Israel to the International Court of Justice

In a bold step, South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of committing genocide during the Gaza conflict. The country sought an emergency order to halt Israel's Rafah offensive, demonstrating its commitment to international human rights and its position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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