Pretoria, South Africa – When South Africa filed a grievance towards Israel earlier than the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ) late final yr, the South African Overseas Ministry took the lead on this marketing campaign.
Then-Minister for Worldwide Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor met with legal professionals and specialists in The Hague in January when the ICJ introduced provisional measures within the case accusing Israel of committing genocide within the battle towards Gaza.
“We couldn’t stand idly by and proceed to observe the killing of hundreds of Palestinian residents who had nothing to do with this horrific hostage-taking and killing,” Pandor instructed reporters on the time, explaining his resolution to show to the Worldwide Court docket of Justice.
The 70-year-old minister urged the judges to steer Israel to finish “the huge degree of hurt” to civilians within the Gaza Strip and resolutely maintained her nation's dedication to defending Palestinian rights.
After a landmark nationwide election in Might that modified the nation's high management, South Africa now has a brand new high diplomat. However will its overseas coverage change? “No,” Ronald Lamola mentioned emphatically in an interview with Al Jazeera.
The 40-year-old, who was sworn in as overseas minister this month, mentioned he wouldn’t enable any world energy to affect his management of the nation's worldwide diplomacy.
“We should not enable ourselves to be intimidated by anybody. We should be capable to mediate in conflicts and get up for human rights with out exterior stress,” he mentioned.
Lamola takes on the position at a crucial time, because the nation leads world efforts to carry Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza whereas going through ongoing battle throughout the African continent.
Lamola's appointment follows Pandor's resignation and the formation of a authorities of nationwide unity (GNU) final month. This got here after the centre-left African Nationwide Congress (ANC), which had led the nation for 30 years, misplaced its parliamentary majority for the primary time in elections and was pressured to type a coalition to retain management.
Like Pandor, Lamola is a member of the ANC. The previous South African Minister of Justice is likely one of the social gathering's main politicians and one among President Cyril Ramaphosa's most trusted cupboard ministers.
Though the ANC was in a position to retain management of the Overseas Ministry through the coalition negotiations, earlier than any necessary choices could be made it should attain consensus with the opposite events – a few of which have very completely different ideological views.
For instance, the centre-right Democratic Alliance, the second largest social gathering within the coalition, remained impartial on Israel's battle towards Gaza, whereas one other coalition accomplice, the right-wing populist Patriotic Alliance, reiterated its assist for the Israeli state.
Lamola reiterated that South Africa stays firmly dedicated to the precept of non-alignment in world conflicts and that the nation's overseas coverage wouldn’t falter regardless of the coalition authorities.
The GNU coalition settlement emphasizes a overseas coverage based mostly on human rights, the rule of legislation, nationwide curiosity and multilateralism, he added.
Totally different fashion, similar substance
As a high diplomat, Pandor was identified for her robust stance towards Israel and her decided diplomatic strategy.
Now the nation is making ready for the subsequent section of its efforts to carry Israel to account earlier than the Worldwide Court docket of Justice, which can hear arguments on the deserves of the genocide case towards Israel, which has already been discovered accountable for apartheid in one other case.
“South Africa will proceed to work to carry Israel and people accountable for the genocide to account. We welcome the continued course of led by the ICC Prosecutor,” Lamola mentioned.
At preliminary hearings in January, when he was nonetheless Justice Minister, he instructed the Worldwide Court docket of Justice that the violence in Palestine and Israel didn’t start on October 7, 2023.
In accordance with overseas coverage analyst Sanusha Naidu, Lamola is prone to preserve South Africa's assertive stance towards Palestine, mirroring the strategy of his predecessor Pandor.
“That is all a part of the bigger framework of South African overseas coverage as articulated by the ANC and the President,” she mentioned.
Regardless of his age and newness to the workplace, Lamola is conversant in political disputes.
Throughout former President Jacob Zuma's time period in workplace, amid quite a few corruption allegations, Lamola was the one one to name for Zuma's removing – a stance that many considered as political suicide.
“He’s very younger, however along with his appointment, Ramaphosa sees somebody he can depend on on the worldwide stage,” Naidu instructed Al Jazeera.
She mentioned Lamola might pursue a distinct fashion in world boards than his predecessor Pandor, however the nation's positioning will stay unchanged.
Naidu identified that whereas South Africa's overseas coverage was unlikely to alter, world developments such because the upcoming US elections in November would considerably impression geopolitics and have profound implications for South Africa.
African conflicts
For Lamola, his rapid precedence is to handle the issues of the African continent.
He expressed his dedication to the African Union's (AU) initiative to silence the weapons and create a conflict-free continent by 2030. Nevertheless, the Worldwide Rescue Committee (IRC) warns of a rise in conflicts, coups and poverty throughout Africa. The variety of armed teams has greater than doubled within the final decade.
South Africa desires to mediate within the battle in Sudan, with President Ramaphosa preventing for peace with each opponents.
“Sudan is a serious concern for the AU and was a central theme in my discussions with my colleagues from Nigeria and Egypt. Bringing all events to the battle collectively for dialogue is important to discovering a long-lasting answer,” confused Lamola.
In accordance with the IRC, greater than 11 million persons are internally displaced in Sudan, making it the biggest inner displacement disaster on the planet.
Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, director of the South African Institute of Worldwide Affairs assume tank, confused South Africa's vested curiosity in conflicts throughout the continent, significantly in southern Africa and the Nice Lakes area.
“The best problem for the minister might be to make use of our restricted assets successfully, each in defence and in diplomatic mediation in essential conflicts on our continent,” she mentioned.
Financial diplomacy
Lamola additionally emphasised his dedication to financial diplomacy and advocated favorable credit score circumstances for African nations.
This comes towards the backdrop of mass protests in Kenya towards high-interest loans from the Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF) and different Western lenders, which many consider have exacerbated the nation's financial difficulties.
For years, multilateral lenders, significantly the IMF, have confronted criticism in Africa for implementing strict lending circumstances that disproportionately have an effect on the poor.
Lamola plans to make use of South Africa's world place, together with its upcoming G20 presidency, to safe low-cost financing for African improvement tasks.
“We advocate for financing circumstances that assist improvement with out compromising sovereignty,” he mentioned.
Lamola additionally confused the significance of tackling local weather change with out jeopardising Africa’s improvement.
“Our transition should be truthful and inclusive,” he mentioned.