IN A highly eventful week for President Cyril Ramaphosa and his foreign relations team, South Africa proudly reclaimed its place as a regional powerhouse and a strategic global player of note.
First, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) Naledi Pandor, hosted the foreign ministers of the BRICS countries in Cape Town in preparation for the upcoming summit in August.
The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) bloc is fast becoming a major player in the rapidly changing geopolitics. The bloc represents more than 40% of the world’s population, enhancing the legitimacy of BRICS as a true voice of the people, particularly those often times marginalised in the global south.
Ramaphosa also announced that he had tasked his deputy, Paul Mashatile, to look into the ways and means of ensuring that the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, would be safe and secure when he visits SA in August.
Putin is scheduled to attend the August BRICS heads of state summit in the country. However, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has thrown the spanner in the works, issuing a warrant for the arrest of Putin. The ICC accuses him of war crimes with regard to the relocation of Ukrainian children to Russia in the face of intense fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia says the children were moved for their own safety in the wake of incessant shelling by Ukrainian forces.
South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute, and his since aligned the ICC regulatory framework into the local legislation. This therefore compels the country to carry out the ICC directives, including effecting Putin’s arrest warrant.
The week was indeed a hive activity for Ramaphosa and his administration. Leading the continent so efficiently and meaningfully was a role reminiscent of the Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki presidencies when South Africa’s voice and opinion were highly regarded in global affairs.
And, in between a very busy international relations schedule, Ramaphosa still managed to squeeze in a state visit by his Portugal counterpart, President Marcelo Rebelo De Sousa.
Later, Ramaphosa said in a media statement about De Sousa’s visit: “Our discussions today focused on opportunities of mutual benefit in defence, science and innovation, education and energy. Portugal is one of the leaders in Europe in the deployment of renewable energy and we discussed opportunities for sharing best practice, investment, technology transfer and skills development.”
I want to argue, however, that Ramaphosa’s biggest task in current geopolitics was, amidst his very busy schedule, the telephone meeting he had with Putin, a key player in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Presidency later explained that Ramaphosa had briefed his Russian counterpart about “the upcoming African Leaders Peace Mission to Ukraine and Russia”. They also discussed the Russia-Africa summit set to take place in St Petersburg at the end of July.
His call to the Kremlin was preceded by Ramaphosa’s hosting of five African heads of state who will form part of the African Peace Initiative, aimed at bringing an end to the war that continues to ravage livelihoods not only where it is being fought, but across the globe where food security remains endangered.
The five African heads of state were Comoro’s Islands’ President Othman Ghazali, who is also the current President of the African Union (AU), Egypt’s Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Senegal’s Macky Sall, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia.
At their meeting with Ramaphosa, the African leaders “deliberated on the devastating impact the war has had on the people of Ukraine and Russia as well as the threats this war poses to Europe and indeed the rest of the world if it continues,” the Presidency said in a statement.
Of greater importance from their deliberations, “the leaders agreed that they would engage with both President Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky (of Ukraine) on the elements for a ceasefire and a lasting peace in the region”.
The foreign ministers of all the African countries involved have been tasked “to finalise the elements of a road-map to peace”. All the African leaders notably declared their availability and willingness to travel to Ukraine and Russia in mid-June, Ramaphosa’s office confirmed.
These are no ordinary events in the current juncture in the world history.
For far too long, Africa has been treated merely as a pawn in wars triggered by others, and oftentimes forced to choose sides. This time, however, Africa – by and large – has elected to adopt a non-aligned stance in relation to the conflict raging in Ukraine.
This stance has not sat too well with the US-led Nato countries. To this end, failed attempts by Nato countries to coerce Africa into joining the anti-Russian campaign has failed dismally. This has highlighted Africa’s new-found confidence to stand on her courage of conviction, refusing to be played – as has been the habit in the past – and instead offering rather a protagonist role as peacemakers.
The world is witnessing finally the reawakening of Africa that we have all yearned for. An Africa that is a leader in global affairs. A continent whose voice resembles the significant representation of the over one billion people under the auspices of the AU. The importance of the involvement of the current President of AU in the peace mission in war-torn Ukraine and Russia cannot be overstated.
It repositions the continental body as no longer a bunch of spectators in the international affairs that have been dominated by the Nato countries for far too long. Africa’s stance, as President Ramaphosa and his counterparts show, is “nothing about us without us” anymore.
Threats of reprisals for not falling into line with Nato’s wishes and commands no longer hold in the face of a united and fearless Africa. There is indeed noticeable strength in unity – unity of purpose – as evidently championed by Ramaphosa and his African colleagues in a new wave of ferocious engagement with the domineering global north.
It doesn’t matter what the outcome of Africa’s peace mission to Ukraine will be. If it yields peace, better for the international community as a whole, and indeed humanity in general.
If it doesn’t, at least Africa would not be accused of sitting by idly when Rome burnt. History will judge us favourably as a continent that tried to stop the war, but failed, instead of failing to try.
And if Africa’s proposed steps to broker a ceasefire fail, at least the entire world would get to know which side is hell-bent on prolonging the mayhem and misery. The war in Ukraine has lasted too long already, with no prospects of an end in sight. China tried to offer a ten-point peace plan that was dismissed by the US, Ukraine and Nato alike.
It would serve the African Leaders Peace Mission well to publicly communicate the details of their peace plan, whether before or after meeting both leaders of the warring sides.
The Ukraine conflict, which has seen unprecedented Western support in military, economics, secret service, espionage and every imaginable way, threatens to degenerate into a World War III. Heaven forbid. For, such would be a war of the nukes and the obliteration of the world and the human race as we know it.
This new-found united leadership by Africa ranks as the latest gift to humanity. Wherever war breaks, or injustice rears its ugly head, Africa would do well to speak in one loud voice, as is the case at the moment.
This Africa initiative is highly commendable. It forces the wealthy western war-mongers who have caused and fought the two previous world wars, to finally explain – in their own words – what it will take them to lay down their arms, and give peace a chance.
I also hope President Zelensky will pay strict attention to the national interest of Ukraine ahead of that of Nato countries in relation to their collective adversarial relations with Moscow. A Ukraine at peace with its neighbour is better than a heavily funded Ukraine that is used as a pawn in Nato’s proxy war with Russia.
So far more than seven million Ukrainians have fled their country. Millions others are internally displaced and tens, if not hundreds of thousands dead. Ukraine’s infrastructure’s decimated. Yet the western propaganda would have us believe President Zelensky “is winning the war”. The truth is, notwithstanding the western propaganda, in any war there are never winners. Hence, all wars end up in a truce.
South Africa’s close ties with Russia through BRICS and struggle history should come in handy in persuading Moscow to sign up to a negotiated settlement. As for Ukraine, I hope that Washington will grant the green light for Kyiv to enter into talks proposed by the African Leaders Peace Mission.
The world is not totally blind as to who the key figures in the conflict are. Arise Africa, and lead a world proliferated by wealthy war-mongers to that evasive peace. We pray.