State of Global Security: SA minister heads to Moscow for annual conference

South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency for State Security, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, will be in the Russian capital, Moscow, tomorrow where she will join officials from several countries at the Russian Federation’s 11th annual security conference.

‘Security matters’: Moscow meeting follows G7 summit

The meeting, which is billed as the international meeting of high-level officials responsible for security matters, takes place from Tuesday to Thursday (23 to 25 May) and closely follows the flurry of diplomacy which emerged from the G7 summit held in Japan over the weekend.

Poignantly hosted in Hiroshima – the world’s first city to be decimated by an atomic bomb – international media coverage of the event was dominated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s unexpected appearance at this year’s gathering.

Ramped-up backing for Ukraine

The summit, which additionally comes hot on the heels of the significant row between South Africa and the United States (US) over suspected military support for Moscow and its incursion into Ukraine, also saw G7 members ramp up their backing for Ukraine.

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Critically for Ukraine, the event also saw the US, along with new multimillion-dollar military package, giving the nod to potential donations and acquisitions of its fourth-generation F-16 war planes, potentially via other F-16 operating countries.

Food security and African peace mission

Spokesperson for Ntshavheni’s office, Sipho Mbele, reaffirmed her visit to Russia in a short statement released early on Monday.

The annual meeting, according to the SA government, traditionally focuses on general trends in international security, including global food security.

According to Ntshavheni’s office, the minister will not only attend the security talks, believed to include officials from China and Armenia, among others, but will also “engage with relevant [Russian] authorities” on the Ukraine crisis.

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In this respect, Ntshavheni’s would be engaging “on matters material to the initiatives announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa of the African Leaders’ Peace Mission to Russia and Ukraine”.

In addition, the minister has sent a team of high-level officials to the Ukraine in preparation of the peace initiative mission.

– Read the statement.

In an indication of South Africa’s approach to and objectives for this week’s Moscow meetings, Ramaphosa earlier this month expressed concern at the Russia-Ukraine conflict impacting Africa’s increasing food insecurity “with the rising costs of grain, fertiliser and fuel”.

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Ramaphosa on SA’s ‘non-aligned position’ amid US claims of arms shipment

In other comments made in his weekly presidential newsletter on 15 May, the president said South Africa’s non-aligned position did not favour Russia over other states and reiterated its call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.

Principal to our discussions are efforts to a peaceful resolution to the devastating conflict in Ukraine, its cost on human lives and the impact on the African continent.

– Ramaphosa said.

His comments followed highly controversial US allegations on 11 May, that weapons were loaded onto the Russian ship Lady R from the Simon’s Town naval base, in Cape Town, in December last year.

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Peace mission: Ukraine, Russia to receive African leaders in June

Ramaphosa is believed to have been in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky in the weekend following the claims. Both leaders, according to the president, have agreed to receive the African heads of state in June.

The delegation of African heads of state plan to travel to Moscow and Kyiv to present the plan “as soon as possible”, Ramaphosa said at a joint briefing with visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Cape Town on 16 May.

Zambia, Senegal, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa will all be part of the mediation effort, which has received the support of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

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