SA govt once again urges UN to protect displaced Palestinians in Gaza

The South African government has once again called on the UN to deploy rapid protection forces to protect displaced Palestinians in Gaza.

International Relations and Cooperation minister Ronald Lamola made this call as he provided an update on his programme for the seventh administration and other topical issues related to the department on Monday afternoon, where he assured the country of continuity in foreign policy aligned with the government of national unity’s (GNU) vision.

The minister said the GNU parties have committed to pursuing a foreign policy based on human rights, solidarity, and peace.

“We are also going to make it a point that through this department, we use economic diplomacy to address the fundamental challenges in South Africa. These are poverty, inequality, and unemployment,” Lamola said.

SA ‘strongly condemns’ Gaza school attack

During the briefing, the minister also touched upon global issues, including the Israeli strike targeting a Gaza school on Saturday, which killed more than 100 people.

The South African government has joined the international community in strongly condemning the attack.

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“South Africa is gravely concerned at the continuous targeting of schools, hospitals, medical infrastructure, and holy sites that are a source of shelter and protection for the civilian population who bear the brunt of the inhumane attacks in the Gaza Strip,” Lamola said.

The minister said Israel has a duty to protect civilians in Gaza and called on the international community to act against deliberate attempts to derail ceasefire negotiations.

“South Africa once again calls on the United Nations to deploy a rapid protection force to protect the civilian population from further bombardment,” he said. 

SA monitoring Bangladesh and Venezuela

Lamola also spoke on the political developments in Bangladesh since the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The minister called for calm and urged that interim leader Muhammad Yunus’ transitional government pursue peaceful mechanisms to resolve their political challenges.

Meanwhile, Venezuela has been in a political crisis since election authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of last month’s poll, a decision questioned both at home and abroad.

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Lamola said the country was monitoring the processes in Caracas closely and that he had a telephone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart, Yván Gil Pinto, minister of the people’s power for foreign affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, who gave an extensive and informative account of how the elections unfolded.

“Minister Lamola has welcomed that President Maduro, despite being declared a victor in these elections, has opted to subject the outcome to the Supreme Court. We reaffirm our support for the people of Venezuela to self-determination without the interference of external forces,” the department of international relations and cooperation (Dirco) said.

SA’s G2 Presidency

South Africa will assume the G20 Presidency on 1 December 2024, after the G20 Leader Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 18 and 19 November.

The department said that while processes are still underway to finalise South Africa’s priorities for its presidency, it will provide an opportunity for the country to raise issues that are critical to the countries of the global south, particularly those from the African continent.

“South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 will provide a unique opportunity to bring to the fore the developing countries’ needs, aspirations, and ambitions. South Africa will use this opportunity to build on the efforts and successes of the Indonesian, Indian, and Brazilian G20 Presidencies,” Dirco said.

With the G20 Summit in 2025 being the first on African soil, the department said the country intends to hold meetings across the country from 1 December 2024, to 30 November 2025, and on the margins of major international conferences and meetings. All provinces will also host ministerial and sectoral meetings.

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“The G20 Presidency will provide a significant opportunity for the provinces, cities, municipalities, traditional authorities, and other related stakeholders to promote their cultural, heritage, tourism, and innovation industries to the tens of thousands of delegates and support staff from some of the world’s most developed and developing economies who are expected to be in South Africa throughout the year 2025,” the department said.