FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER LAMOLA SPEAKS AT THE THIRD G20 SHERPA MEETING
“On this day, 70 years ago, 26 June 1955, the people of South Africa from all walks of life congregated under the hawkish eyes of the Apartheid government and declared the following: We, the People of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know: With regards to International Relations they declared […]
WHY PRIDE MONTH IS STILL A PROTEST, NOT A CELEBRATION
In South Africa, the month of June is not only Youth Month, it is also the international Pride Month. This is a commemorative month-long observance dedicated to the celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, celebrating the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in local and international cultures and communities. South Africa is not only […]
DEPUTY PRESIDENT MASHATILE’S YOUTH DAY SPEECH
“Today we honour and pay tribute to the valiant and fearless young people who stood at the forefront of the liberation struggle on June 16, 1976. Regardless of their youthful stature, the youth of 1976 stood strong in the face of the oppressive system of the apartheid regime. They faced death with unwavering determination, fuelled […]
REFLECTIONS ON YOUTH DAY 2025 – THE POWER OF OUR HISTORY AND IDENTITY
This year’s Youth Day commemorates 49 years since the June 16 Student Uprisings (also known as the Soweto Massacres), a crucial turning point in the liberation struggle of South Africa. In 1976, Soweto, the unbridled bravery of tens-of-thousands of schoolchildren ignited a countrywide rebellion, setting in motion a transformation that would define the future. The merciless killing of […]
PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA ANNOUNCES SA WILL HOLD THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE IN SEARCH OF A COMMON FUTURE
In a widely circulated media statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke as follows: “My Fellow South Africans, today, I wish to address you about the National Dialogue, an initiative that has been in discussion by a number of leaders in our country and many other people for some time now. This initiative has been gathering great […]
THE “AFRIKANER REFUGEES” FALLACY EXPOSES THE MALADY IN SA-US RELATIONS
Never in the history of democratic South Africa has so few caused so much pain to so many and with impunity. The preposterous saga of a very tiny minority of Afrikaners who this week flew to the US under the utterly false pretense of escaping persecution has pooh-poohed Mandela’s dream of a South Africa for […]
PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA INITIATES CONSULTATION FOR APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY CHIEF JUSTICE
President Cyril Ramaphosa has initiated consultation with the Judicial Service Commission and leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly on the appointment of a Deputy Chief Justice. Section 174(3) of the Constitution provides that the President as head of the national executive, after consulting the Judicial Service Commission and the leaders of parties […]
TOP SA GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS RETURN FROM A SUCCESSFUL UN VISIT
A delegation of senior officials, led by South Africa’s G20 Sherpa and the Director General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr. Zane Dangor, visited the United Nations General Assembly to brief them on South Africa’s G20 Presidency. The General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed the priorities and theme of the South African G20 Presidency. […]
OPENING OF THE AZIZ PAHAD INAUGURAL ANNUAL PEACE, SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUE
Speech Delivered by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola, under the theme: Constitutionalism as the Foundation of Nation Building and Social Cohesion: A Reflection of 30 Years of Freedom, Equity and Justice in a Post Apartheid South Africa. “As we gather here today and this moment in history, we must guard against the […]
HUMAN RIGHTS MONTH: A TIME OF REFLECTION AND ACTION
As Human Rights month comes to a swift close, we must reflect on the pertinence of turning our gaze inward, taking stock of our nation’s gruelling history, as well as the ongoing struggles in our post-democratic society. This month was the historic commemoration in which those who fought against the barbaric apartheid regime, particularly those slain […]
“KILL THE BOER, KILL THE FARMER” CHANT FUELLED BY THE LINGERING RACIAL INEQUITIES OF THE NEW SA
On March 21, EFF leader Julius Malema – a rabble-rouser of note – disrupted SA’s national peace and comfort when he chanted the controversial political slogan “kill the boer, kill the farmer”. One thing for sure Malema knew too well that no one, not even AfriForum, could haul him before the courts. In 2022, AfriForum […]