Ramaphosa hosts Zelensky as South Africa adjusts position on Ukraine conflict

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s scheduled visit to South Africa on Thursday highlights a potential evolution in Pretoria’s stance regarding Russia’s invasion, which began over three years ago. Initially, South Africa had refrained from condemning the aggression, a position analysts noted.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to host Zelensky for his inaugural visit to Africa, occurring shortly after South Africa, for the first time, supported a UN General Assembly resolution criticizing Russia for the ongoing conflict.

The UN’s February resolution “reaffirmed its commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity” in the face of “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.”

“South Africa has been criticised previously for taking quite an ambiguous position in defining the conflict,” Institute for Security Studies researcher Priyal Singh told this publication.

“And I think the UN resolution basically set that straight: South Africa has recognised that it needs to take a much less ambiguous role and to robustly engage with all sides,” he stated.

Pretoria’s historically close ties with the Kremlin, rooted in Russia’s support during the anti-apartheid struggle, have drawn scrutiny both domestically and internationally. Attempts have been made to encourage South Africa to move away from its non-aligned stance.

This relationship even led to allegations from a former US ambassador concerning a Russian vessel docked in Cape Town in 2022, purportedly carrying weapons intended for the conflict.

South Africa maintains its aspiration to engage constructively with both parties involved in the conflict to facilitate an inclusive peace process, possibly drawing parallels from its own relatively peaceful transition from white-minority rule in 1994 after decades of armed resistance.

The visit represents a “continuation of our efforts to try to bring about a peaceful resolution,” Ramaphosa’s spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, said last month. “This is the position that South Africa has held from the beginning of that conflict.”

Step towards Europe

Ramaphosa extended the invitation to the Ukrainian leader in February, a period when South Africa faced criticism from the US government, which had also targeted Zelensky and pursued negotiations to end the war without direct Ukrainian or European ally involvement.

As Washington has reduced international aid and trade, South Africa has been moving closer to European partners, who had also expressed criticism regarding its ambiguous stance on Russia’s actions, according to Singh. “South Africa is certainly trying to find common ground with its European partners; it recognises their importance,” he told AFP.

Europe has taken note of this potential shift. “South Africa has an increasingly positive role,” stated Fulgencio Garrido Ruiz, deputy head of the EU mission in South Africa. “This is a positive step in multilateral efforts to achieve an inclusive, sustainable, and comprehensive peace,” he said regarding Zelensky’s visit.

However, this potential realignment does not necessarily signify a severance of ties with Moscow. Ramaphosa referred to Russia in October as an “ally and precious friend.” He and President Vladimir Putin spoke on Monday to “affirm the strong bilateral relations,” according to a statement from the South African government. “South Africa will continue engaging all interested and affected parties, including the government of Ukraine on finding a path to peace,” the statement added.

While this may be Pretoria’s objective, Kyiv also has strategic interests in bolstering its international standing and presence on the African continent. Zelensky is reportedly hoping for an invitation from South Africa to the G20 summit scheduled for Johannesburg in November, according to Garrido Ruiz. Ukraine recognizes the need for increased diplomatic efforts in Africa to counter Russia’s “very aggressive communication strategy,” he noted.

Ukraine also seeks Pretoria’s unequivocal condemnation of the war, as Ukrainian ambassador Liubov Abravitova told the Sunday Times newspaper. “I believe that we will see South Africa officially condemn the killing of Ukrainian people,” she said. “We are in a war for survival and the only way to stop it is to condemn the violation of international law and to stand in support of the territorial integrity of countries.”