President Cyril Ramaphosa said the uncertainty of the new trading regime had already harmed the country’s economy
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office has taken the rare step of publicly contradicting a cabinet minister after the Democratic Alliance (DA) claimed credit for a decision to waive visa requirements for Ukrainian holders of diplomatic, official, and service passports.
The DA hailed an announcement in this regard by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber as “a poignant show of solidarity by South Africa with the people of Ukraine”.
The party’s statement went on to describe the change to the visa regime as a recognition of Ukraine’s historic support for the struggle against apartheid. It read as a retort to Ramaphosa’s remarks at the Brics summit in Kazan last week where he, on greeting President Vladimir Putin, recalled Russia’s support for the liberation movement.
“We continue to see Russia as a valued ally, as a valued friend, who supported us right from the beginning: from the days of our struggle against apartheid, right through to now.”
DA leader John Steenhuisen issued a statement on the same day in which he sought to distance his party from the president’s comments, saying: “The Democratic Alliance does not consider Russia, or Vladimir Putin, to be an ally of our nation.”
He added that the DA “cannot and will not agree” that South Africa should consider an authoritarian regime that has invaded a sovereign neighbour as an ally.
On Sunday, the DA said: “Ukraine has always been an ally in the fight against the systemic disenfranchisement of South Africa’s black majority by the apartheid government.
“The move to grant visa-free access to Ukrainian diplomats, officials, and service men and women is a long overdue recognition of this country’s immense contribution to the fall of the apartheid state.”
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya took to social media platform X to suggest that the DA not only spoke out of turn, but skewed the facts.
Magwenya noted that negotiations with Ukraine on the waiver for diplomatic and official passports began in 2020.
In a second post, he added: “The president is yet to sign the minute authorising the minister to sign the agreement with Ukraine. It is unclear how the minister can announce signature of an international agreement without prior formal authorisation to do so.”
A well-placed source said Schreiber had riled the presidency by using a process that predated his appointment by years to attempt to reframe the government’s relationship with Ukraine.
Asked whether the foreign policy row brewing since last week would be aired in the new clearing house for partners in the 10-party government of national unity, Magwenya said it already had a lot on its agenda.
“The clearing house needs to deal with big picture issues around how you sustain the GNU [government of national unity]. There are other parties as well. So it cannot be bogged down by daily DA tantrums.”
The spat over Schreiber’s announcement is clearly part of a bigger standoff over the party’s demand that it, and other coalition partners, be given a say in South Africa’s foreign policy.
It was voiced by the DA a fortnight ago when it criticised the department of international relations’ directive to Taiwan to relocate its representative office from Pretoria to Johannesburg by month’s end.
International relations spokesman Chrispin Phiri said the move would be a more accurate reflection of relations between the two countries since South Africa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1997.
The DA has called for the directive to be withdrawn. Like the Inkatha Freedom Party, it intends to raise the matter in the cabinet.
But senior government officials have said that foreign policy will not be rewritten to accommodate the views of the ANC’s partners in the ruling coalition.
“Notwithstanding the absence of an absolute majority to form a government, the ANC remains the majority party in government. It leads the GNU,” one official said.
“That means the wishes of the majority of voters that voted for the ANC cannot be suddenly subordinated to other agendas under the guise of the GNU. That will not be a proper exercise of democracy.”
The same official said the DA was silent on foreign policy in the negotiations to enter into government with the ANC after the May elections.
“The DA did not raise foreign policy as a key issue. They were focused on economic issues. Now they are trying to revisit a key area they abandoned. If we review our foreign policy, we have to review all other policies and laws adopted in previous administrations.
“That will not happen.”