A better Africa and a better world
Today, every South African can hold their heads high, confident that South Africa has assumed its rightful place on the world stage.
Government remains committed to playing a constructive role on the continent and around the globe for the realisation of a better Africa and a better world. It will continue to play an important role to silence the guns throughout the continent.
Government’s engagements with parties in the Russia-Ukraine conflict through the Africa Peace Initiative are progressing. South Africa engages in these peace efforts because it believes that even the most intractable conflicts can be brought to an end through negotiations.
Guided by the fundamental principle of human rights and freedom, government has taken up the Palestinian cause to prevent further deaths and destruction in Gaza.
Government has welcomed the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians.
“We condemn the killing of civilians on all sides and call on all parties involved in the conflict to commit to a peace process that will deliver a two state solution.” –President Cyril Ramaphosa, SoNA, 8 February 2024, Cape Town City Hall.
Government will use its foreign policy to pursue its development goals. During its leadership of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) last year, South Africa witnessed a new chapter for the BRICS family of countries.
The expansion of the group from five to 10 members presents opportunities for trade and a strengthening of political and diplomatic ties between countries in the global South.
Government will build on the progress have made in establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which will transform South Africa’s economy and that of the continent by creating new jobs and increasing economic participation.
And government will place Africa’s development at the top of the agenda when it hosts the Group of Twenty (G20) in 2025. The achievements over the last three decades are a testament to the power of collaboration and partnership to address the most pressing challenges.
South Africa has a vibrant civil society, a powerful union movement and an engaged private sector. Over the last five years, government has worked with these social partners to address challenges such as to keep people safe and to distribute vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to mobilise a society-wide response to GBV.
“In the past year, government has come together with social partners to end load-shedding, address the challenges in the logistics sector, tackle crime and corruption, and accelerate job creation.” – President Cyril Ramaphosa, SoNA, 8 February 2024, Cape Town City Hall.
This is the South African way of building a social compact working together on tangible issues, and it will be the key to building a new society in the years to come.
