President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa’s democratic gains carry a responsibility to defend and advance those principles beyond its borders, and the defence of democracy is gaining momentum in the geopolitical sphere.
“This is why I was proud to represent democratic South Africa at the 4th meeting of the ‘In Defence of Democracy’ initiative in Barcelona, Spain, this past weekend,” Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter on Monday.
“The initiative was launched by Brazil and Spain in 2024 to confront the threat posed to democratic institutions by extremism, polarisation, disinformation and other forms of intolerance. This initiative, which brings together countries from around the world, has become especially critical at this time.”
The president said in many places democracy was under threat, while the principles of solidarity, co-operation and friendship were being challenged by the resurgence of narrow nationalism, prejudice and intolerance.
“Conflicts and wars rage around the globe. Some of these are linked to battles over resources, while others have their origins in colonial-era divisions shaped by violent conquest. At the gathering in Barcelona, I said we cannot allow ourselves to be bullied into silence when the dignity and human rights of others are being trampled on.”
This as department of international relations and co-operation director-general Zane Dangor has lashed out at US President Donald Trump, accusing him of bringing an “unprecedented challenge” to rules of the international legal order and saying the use of force was becoming unacceptable.
He said there were no means to hold the most powerful and their friends accountable, while the weaker were held accountable through unlawful unilateral sanctions.
“It’s not undiplomatic to say the president of the US in his second term has brought an unprecedented challenge to the customs and rules of the international legal order and the institutions that safeguard it. Some have called it a lawless approach, so I’ll use that as a way of describing it,” Dangor said during his address at the Cape Town Press Club last week.
Ramaphosa said the initiative made a call for the UN to reassert itself in global affairs. For democratic values to thrive, all institutions of global governance need to be reformed so that all countries and peoples of the world are represented.
“It has become clear that bodies such as the UN Security Council are powerless to intervene in conflicts and prevent genocide. The gulf of inequality in and among nations is a serious challenge to democracy. The laws, rules and institutions that support democracy must ensure that people’s lives are improved. All people must have an equal opportunity to contribute to decisions that affect them,” he said.
“That is why we called on leaders to support the establishment of an international panel on inequality, which will evaluate alternative policies for addressing inequality to inform governments, policymakers and the international community.”
He said the establishment of the panel was one of the recommendations of the groundbreaking global inequality report produced by a committee of independent experts that South Africa commissioned during its G20 presidency.
“The ‘In Defence of Democracy’ initiative is aligned with our foreign policy, and we are committed to supporting its work. The erosion of democracy in other parts of the world affects South Africa too. Our economy and society feel the effects of conflicts beyond [our] borders, intensified geopolitical tensions and the weaponisation of trade, foreign direct investment and aid.”
With South Africa set to mark Freedom Day on April 27, Ramaphosa said: “Let us recommit ourselves to defend and strengthen our democracy. We must continue to work together to overcome the challenges of poverty, inequality and underdevelopment, which undermine our democratic gains. We must not go the way of societies that have lost faith in democracy and that are increasingly anchored in the rule of the strong and the erosion of human rights.”
He stressed the defence of democracy was gathering momentum: “It is gaining more and more support as leaders, governments, social movements and citizens realise what is at stake — and, like us, demonstrate that they are prepared to do something about it.”
Business Day
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