It’s possible for our foreign policy to place South African people first - above cold-war alliances 

22 May 2024  

Note to editors: The following speech was delivered in front of the Zimbabwean Embassy in Pretoria as part of a press conference joined by ActionSA President Herman Mashaba and ActionSA National Spokesperson Lerato Ngobeni to unveil ActionSA’s approach to foreign policy.

My name is Solly Moeng, a Reputation Management Strategist, Columnist, Political Commentator, and lecturer by trade before joining Herman Mashaba and ActionSA on a journey to FixSA.

You will know by now that many of us are accidental politicians, concerned South Africans who have said “yes” to a call to return home, in my case, and roll up our sleeves to be part of healing our abused and pained South Africa.

For my part, I have been entrusted with the role of leading the task to shape ActionSA’s foreign policy proposal for South Africa.

As a start, we believe that it must be grounded firmly – not selectively – in protecting and enhancing fundamental human and environmental rights. This was also Mandela’s Vision back at the dawn of our post-apartheid democracy.

Ladies and gentlemen, our world is faced with uncertain times, with the resurgence of regional hostilities and ongoing wars in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and parts of our own continent of Africa.

We’re also faced with a certain global economic downturn and rising inflation which are beginning to take their toll.

As we stand at the crossroads of history, it becomes more important than ever to envision a future where the harmonised rhythms of our country’s vibrant tapestry resonate within our borders and reverberate with strength and unity worldwide.

Over the past number of years, our foreign policy has become inconsistent. It has been running contrary to what South Africa’s objectives should be on the global stage, those of a leading African democracy with a unique voice in a fragmented world that is struggling to find a new balance.

Today, I stand with President Mashaba and my colleagues outside the Zimbabwean embassy, a country whose people in South Africa under the ANC have been massively disappointed through a misplaced phenomenon of ‘quiet diplomacy’ that has only emboldened the perennially misgoverning ZANU-PF regime and ensuring that it remains entrenched in power.

As a party committed to basic and inalienable human rights, ActionSA has long maintained alongside other observers that the current ZANU-PF Government was not democratically elected and is directly responsible for the economic meltdown taking place in that country, with severe spillover effects in South Africa.

‘Quiet diplomacy’ needs to be replaced with ‘hard diplomacy’, hard diplomacy which makes it clear which lines should not be crossed, as well as making sure our partners know that our contribution to aiding developments in other parts of the world will not come at the cost of neglecting South Africans here at home.

Today, cold-war-era alliances continue to stubbornly take precedence over the lives of ordinary South Africans. Zimbabwe remains a country that should be a strong economic partner to our north, one with which we could trade and grow together after the many years of apartheid and racist rule that denied black citizens equal opportunities in both countries.

Today, Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown has meant that what could have been our great partner has become a burden, with an estimated 1.5 million economic migrants seeking refuge in South Africa. This has of course, placed a large strain on healthcare, education, housing, and other South African taxpayer funded services.

We believe strongly that we must have a government that works for South Africans, not just the ANC’s ideological interests and dogma.

Irrespective of which party leads the government, it should support local businesses, entrepreneurs, and the country’s citizens ahead of its partisan interests, be they financial or ideological.

With the once widely respected African National Congress at the helm, – archaic, Soviet era, ideologies still shape political language and the country’s international relations.

With emotions running high in South Africa’s current policy, the West – associated with former colonisers – is to be shunned and the East – associated principally with Russia and China – is to be embraced with incomprehensible fervour.

Often, the latter seems to be done just for the pleasure of getting back at the West at great economic consequences for our country.

The ANC’s reckless miscalculations on the global stage continue to threaten solid trade partnerships with countries such as the US, a country to which we exported goods worth R258bn in 2023, accounting for some 12.6% of our total exports. By comparison, South Africa exported goods worth a mere R5.2bn to Russia in 2023, representing only 0.25% of our total exports.

The need to have a balanced foreign policy, mindful of key issues affecting South Africa, Southern Africa, Africa, the global South, and the rest of the world, has never been more paramount. South Africa needs to begin to put economic diplomacy at the centre of our foreign policy as our economy continues to falter.

ActionSA will seek to build robust economic partnerships grounded in mutual benefit and focused on fostering innovation, technological advancements, and skills development. We will leverage our strategic geographical position and rich resources to foster regional economic integration, improve connectivity and facilitate trade and investment.

As a leading player on the Continent, South Africa must foster a Pan-African outlook, promoting unity, peace, socio-economic and political cooperation throughout the Continent. Within this framework and working with our African partners, ActionSA envisages an equitable, integrated, and united Africa, one that champions sustainable development, economic prosperity, and social justice.

This means returning to expressing our unique South African voice and tone in a way that is not skewed and driven to pit any part of the world against another. Armed with our rich human diversity, we have an opportunity to position SA as a trusted mediator in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and in contributing to an environment for sustainable global peace. But we cannot do this by throwing tantrums in the global arena for the sake of simply expressing outrage.

Please do not get us wrong, the expression of outrage is both important and inevitable in the face of gross human rights abuses and genocidal drives – irrespective of the identity of the perpetrators and the victims.

But global leadership - which is what ActionSA proposes for South Africa - is about finding lasting solutions to even seemingly intractable conflicts such as the ones happening in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, the Sudan, Congo and elsewhere. South Africa will stay the course, no matter how hard it might often seem to be.

Leadership is also about being frank about calling out human rights abuses for what they are in our African backyard. If charity really begins at home, we should be as concerned about human rights violations perpetrated by despots in Africa as we are about violations in other parts of the world. 

Leadership isn’t about pleasing everyone all the time, which is why we believe in three core principles which should guide our foreign policy.

Principle 1: We reaffirm a commitment to democratic principles, peaceful resolution to conflict, and harmonious co-existence with our neighbours while respecting the sovereignty of each country. Our Foreign Policy will strive to foster good relations with our neighbours, recognising that their security and prosperity are bound with ours. We shall work through bilateral engagements or regional organisations like the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU).

Furthermore, let it be made clear that ActionSA will maintain South Africa's participation in BRICS, the G20 and all other cooperative forums.

We also recognise the pressing need for global governance reforms, where we must advocate for a more inclusive and representative United Nations, including the reform of the UN Security Council to strengthen the voices and representation of African nations and others in the global south.

We shall therefore pursue a foreign policy that is keen on forging alliances that advance the interests of the global South, affirming the spirit of unity, collaboration, and mutual respect.

We must underscore that an ActionSA-led South African government will only participate in these forums under the condition that such engagement serves our nation's best interests. We are committed to ensuring that South Africa and her people's interests are consistently prioritised above all else in any international cooperative engagement.

Principle 2: A Peaceful, Democratic, and Economically Prosperous Africa: Ending Poverty, Unemployment, and Inequality. To achieve this vision, ActionSA actively supports initiatives to end poverty, unemployment, and inequality across the Continent. More importantly, those initiatives that will culminate in our continent moving from being a mere supplier of raw materials to value-added goods that can improve our overall GDPs.

Principle 3: A Fair Multilateral System with Equitable Representation: Balancing Global Power Dynamics.

ActionSA believes that the world's multilateral institutions must reflect the diversity of the global community. We therefore advocate for a fair multilateral system that ensures equitable representation and power-sharing between countries from the global North and South.

South Africa actively participates in international forums, such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the G20, and it remains a signatory to a good number of global conventions. We must continue doing this to promote a more inclusive and just global order.

We have all intentions to work with our partners towards creating opportunities for developing nations to have a place at the table where rules, norms, and policies that govern the world are determined.

We also remain resolute that our immigration processes, including our notoriously porous border crossings, cannot reasonably be left as they are. Porous borders undermine our democratic state and make it difficult for those who wish to enter South Africa to do so legally.

We also condemn any discriminatory acts of violence committed against foreign nationals, regardless of their immigration status. We propose to simplify administrative procedures to make it easier for refugees, immigrants, tourists, and asylum-seekers to enter South Africa legally.

This is important for national security and economic integrity. It is also important if our country is to be taken off the grey list so that we can regain our credibility as a country whose financial institutions are not suspected of serving the interests of global organised crime.

Anyone can come to South Africa from anywhere in the world, but it cannot be negotiable that people enter our country illegally, aided, or unaided.

No country in the world tolerates that, and South Africa should not be the exception.

Ultimately, our vision is founded in the aspirations enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa for our county to strive to build a united, democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the global family of nations.

Issued by Solly Moeng, ActionSA Team Fix SA Member, 22 May 2023