SA leaders have linked their call for peace talks in the almost seven-month-old war between Russia and Ukraine to renewed pleas for institutional reforms of the UN.
Their call comes before the first in-person UN General Assembly sitting since 2019, which President Cyril Ramaphosa will not attend as he decided to return home to tend to a new electricity crisis.
Ramaphosa and international relations minister Naledi Pandor, during their visit to Washington DC last week, pointed out that UN secretary-general António Guterres should have been involved in peace negotiations much earlier.
She complained Guterres had been “totally marginalised” and he “isn't playing the role he should”.
Pandor has also pointed to seeming double standards related to the decision to deal with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the general assembly after Russia blocked it from being discussed in the security council.
SA has in the past called for matters of international security to be discussed by the general assembly, which would enable more countries to have a say, she told the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington DC last week.
Ramaphosa told journalists after his visit to the White House SA wants to see Guterres “get involved in negotiating this conflict to an end”, together with “other eminent persons”.
Ramaphosa says he has been able to talk to both sides, though US officials earlier in the conflict expressed concerns about a bias towards Russia by aspiring mediators.
It is not clear who such eminent persons would be, but Pandor said such a group of leaders or “leading personalities” was suggested by those who helped the apartheid government and the liberation movement come to the table.
“Let's find a panel of eminent persons who enjoy global respect to have [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Ukraine President Volodymyr] Zelensky behind a table to sit down and negotiate',” she said.
A senior US administration official last week said Biden was “eager to hear SA's perspective on how do we reach a just conclusion to the conflict and what are the means to do that”.
Part of implementing the new US strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa, launched last month, is to emphasise “the importance of talking to our African partners on global issues to hear their perspective” and so have a “more effective, thoughtful, inclusive policy”.
Ramaphosa first mentioned to Biden SA's willingness to get involved in a solution in a 45-minute phone conversation in April. The official said “there was a lot of listening, a lot of consultation, a lot of working through what is the best approach to get to outcomes that we all share”.
The face-to-face meeting between the two leaders on Friday was a continuation of that.
Ramaphosa said Biden remarked that SA “has a very important moral voice in the world” and “should not take that lightly”.
Biden also told him “we should find ways in which any form of assistance can be given in helping us to bring this conflict to an end and we agreed with that”, Ramaphosa said. He added that “these conflicts can be difficult to solve”.
Putin appears to be in a somewhat weakened position.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi told Putin at the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan last week that “today's time is not a time for war”. Putin hinted that Chinese President Xi Jinping also expressed some “questions and concerns” about the war.
Ramaphosa has said he also previously told Putin the war should end.
The Brics grouping of countries are traditionally considered allies by Russia.
“Wars are very destructive in nature,” Ramaphosa told journalists.
“They not only destroy lives but infrastructure as well, and this war has gone on for far too long and needs to be brought to an end.”
Ramaphosa said those involved “need to sit around a table and find solutions”.
Zelensky has, however, previously criticised SA for its “neutral” stance and said he saw no possibility for negotiations.
Steven Gruzd and Gustavo de Carvalho, who have studied Russia's strategic engagement in Africa for the SA Institute of International Affairs, said the time is not yet ripe for peace talks.
“Beginning a process where there is dialogue can assist with the process, but it requires momentum where both parties believe they have more to gain than lose by reaching compromises,” De Carvalho said.
Ukraine has, in recent days, managed to win back some lost territory from the Russians and peace negotiations could “lead to considerable losses” for Ukraine, he said.
“For Russia, despite their recent battle losses, an agreement would not fully lead to its broader goals that led to the invasion itself.”
While negotiations remain critical, results are unlikely in the short term, he said.
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