Expert hopes GNU will follow more ‘human rights-centred’ approach to foreign policy
South Africa's new multi-party government has been urged to reform its foreign policy to be more neutral between the East and West.
Political commentator Professor Pieter Duvenhage has been commenting on the appointment of Ronald Lamola as the new Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his new executive on Sunday evening, moving Lamola from Justice and Correctional Services.
Lamola succeeds Naledi Pandor as South Africa’s top diplomat.
“You normally need to have a very experienced and relatively old figure in politics, or let's say, experienced and very well diplomatically qualified person in a foreign affairs department,” said Duvenhage.
“Lamola is definitely not in that mould. He’s a very young guy; he’s promising, and he played his role now with the International Court of Justice in the Hague,” Duvenhage added, referencing South Africa’s case of genocide against Israel for its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“But I think he's on that level still very much inexperienced, and secondly, both of his deputy ministers also look to me quite young and inexperienced. So how they will represent South Africa on the world stage is a big question from my side.”
Duvenhage said the foreign policies of the national unity government’s two biggest partners, the ANC and DA, differ quite a bit.
"The ANC has a specific idea of foreign policy, and the DA, as the major party in the coalition, has another idea."
"The big question is whether we can get a kind of mediated position where South Africa's foreign policy in the future will be guided by human rights, as in the time of President Mandela. Or are we following an opportunistic foreign policy where we also side with authoritarian governments when it pleases us?
“I hope that we can move in terms of our foreign policy more in a neutral zone; a country that is not East or West and which follows the principles of human rights and our constitution when it comes to foreign policy."
Duvenhage believes there will need to be some sort of consensus on South Africa’s foreign policy in the future.
"Let's say we take the constitution and human rights as our starting point for foreign policy; the big question is what are we doing with BRICS, and what are we doing with China and Russia? Both are authoritarian governments that we seem to support."
"What do we do if our old darling Cuba? That’s the billion-dollar question, and that is something that's going to be very interesting to follow exactly how South Africa’s foreign policy will look in a multi-party government and executive."
He said South Africa has a window of opportunity to strengthen its relationship with the US and EU.
“I think [the United States] is also studying what's happening here with greater attention because what has happened in the last two, three, four years is that we drifted away from the United States and also we drifted away from the European Union to an extent.
“There is the possibility that our foreign policy now, given the principles of the new government, may look different and that we position ourselves more neutrally between the USA and, let's say, China, based on the principle of our constitution and human rights and that we don't go again into the terrain of opportunistic foreign policy initiatives.”
When asked about South Africa's relationship with the United States specifically, he said a neutral foreign policy is essential if Donald Trump wins a second term in the White House.
“A Trump administration will be much harsher on South Africa if we side with the BRICS countries; China and Russia in a very strong sense.”
“The Democratic administration of President (Joe) Biden seems to be a bit more lenient on South Africa, but I think in that context Republican government led by President Trump will be much stronger against a South Africa with such a foreign policy.”
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