South Africa to redouble its efforts in fight for Palestine — Ronald Lamola

International relations and co-operation minister Ronald Lamola has committed to redoubling South Africa’s efforts and working in solidarity with those who are resisting occupation, oppression, human rights abuses and injustice in Palestine.

The newly appointed minister, who championed South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), said South Africa will continue to act within global institutions to protect the rights of Palestinians in Gaza and ensure the fair application of international law for all.

The minister was speaking on Thursday at a symposium on South Africa’s national interests and global advancements, an event organised in partnership with the South Africa Institute of International Affairs. 

He said South Africa will continue to do everything within its power to preserve the existence of the Palestinian people as a group, to end all acts of apartheid and genocide against the Palestinian people and to walk with them towards the realisation of their collective right to self-determination.

“This informed our application to the International Court of Justice. South Africa also led the referral by six states of the situation in Palestine to the International Criminal Court (ICC). We will continue preparing and managing the ICJ case against Israel and providing observations on the situation in Palestine before the ICC.

“As our foreign policy is anchored in our history of solidarity with those struggling against oppression and occupation, we will continue to support the people of Western Sahara in their quest for self-determination.”

His statement comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet is expected to meet to iron out its policy direction for the seventh administration this weekend.

The ANC’s biggest partner in government, the DA, was strongly opposed to Pretoria’s decision to take the Israeli government to the ICJ for crimes against humanity.

The South African government's choice of non-alignment at the UN in the Russian war against Ukraine was highly criticised by the DA, which called for the country to take a stand against the Kremlin.

The two parties are also in disagreement about South Africa’s relationship with its Brics Plus partners.

Lamola said South Africa calls on the UN to take urgent steps towards holding the long-promised referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara, now the last colony left on the African continent, “so that the Sahrawis can determine their destiny”.

Lamola said South Africa recognised the importance of achieving lasting peace and unity in the region to unlock its full potential.

“Therefore, we are committed to actively participating in Southern African Development Community (Sadc) peace efforts and supporting post-conflict reconstruction within our means. We must work towards fostering sustainable peace in northern Mozambique following the conclusion of the Sadc mission in July 2024.

“Additionally, we will maintain our engagement in peace and security efforts in eastern DRC to support the country in achieving its development objectives. Our hearts go out to our brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty in Mozambique and, most recently, the DRC. These individuals were true peacemakers, and we honour their service and sacrifice,” he said.

Lamola said the evolving international world order necessitates strengthening the Non-Aligned Movement.

“South Africa, with its unique policy of active non-alignment, is not reactive but proactive in its pursuit of peace. This approach is not about being neutral or abstaining from world affairs, but about leading a unifying agenda through dialogue to achieve peace for developing countries that do not wish to take sides in great-power rivalry.”

He said Pretoria will continue to engage the world as equals, emphasising that South Africa's non-alignment and universality posture will remain sacrosanct.

“South Africa proudly places Africa at the centre of its foreign policy and is steadfastly committed to Agenda 2063. We aim to ensure the peace, development and security of the continent, aligning with the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and the sustainable development goals.

“We can be proud of our progress and confident in our future contributions. We will continue to deepen and harness our relations with our partners on the continent. We have established 46 Structured Bilateral Mechanisms, 12 of which are at presidential level. These mechanisms afford our country the opportunity to exchange views on national, regional and global issues.”

Key to the 2063 Agenda is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which promises to eliminate trade barriers and boost intra-African trade, advance trade in value-added production, and contribute to establishing regional value chains.

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