SOUTH AFRICA BECAME THE WORLD’S BILLBOARD DURING THE G20 YEAR, AND OUR CREATIVE INDUSTRY PROVED ITS POWER
There are moments in a nation’s history when attention becomes a national asset. For South Africa, the G20 year was one such moment. Over the past twelve months our country became a global stage, a communication platform and, in many ways, the world’s visual billboard. As Johannesburg hosted the first G20 Leaders’ Summit on African […]
IMPERFECT AS HE IS, PRESIDENT TRUMP’S EFFORTS TOWARD PEACE ARE COMMENDABLE
US President Donald Trump attracts avalanches of international scrutiny for all the right reasons – he is after all the commander-in-chief of the world’s most potent army and presides over an economy with significant global influence. Washington’s penchant for a cantankerous foreign policy that is replete with unpredictability is also an added reason to the […]
BURKINA FASO’S TRAORE SIGNALS THE RETURN OF REVOLUTIONARY LEADERSHIP IN AFRICA
In Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, a structure has risen that embodies more than just memory: it symbolizes vision, renewal, and resistance. It is the Thomas Sankara Mausoleum. The Thomas Sankara Mausoleum, designed by the internationally acclaimed Pritzker Prize-winning Kéré Architecture, is not merely a tribute to a distinctly revolutionary icon. It is a […]
WHO BENEFITS FROM ZELENSKY’S VISIT?
What is the essence of a foreign policy that does not rally the nation around a common goal, and instead divides the populace right down the middle, leaving a bitter taste and uncertainty? The visit by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to our capital this week has caused a much greater harm to the national […]
SADC EXPORTERS MUST UNLOCK NEW MARKETS TO SURVIVE THE TARIFF TSUNAMI
As the world continues to grapple with shifting global alliances and protectionist trade policies — triggered in part by the lasting ripple effects of Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs — the Southern African Development Community (SADC) finds itself at a crossroads. With traditional export markets becoming more volatile, regional exporters must begin charting a new path: one that prioritizes […]
ECONOMIC CRISIS IN ANGOLA: WHY WESTERN INVESTORS ARE TURNING AWAY FROM LUANDA
As Angola grapples with mounting fiscal challenges and structural imbalances, its appeal to Western investors has waned sharply. The Angolan government has announced a 50% increase in the price of diesel fuel, the second significant increase over the last year in a country where the population is already suffering from the cost of living. Once […]
JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE MINISTERS OF DIRCO
South Africa’s Strategic Adaptation to U.S. Tariffs: Advancing National Interests through Policy and Strategy The new tariff regime arising from the decision by the United States of America which have been directed not only to South Africa, but the entire world necessitates strategic responses to maintain and grow our industrial base, as a crucial avenue […]
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 […]
PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA RETURNS FROM INAUGURATION FOR FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT OF NAMIBIA
President Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded his working visit to the Republic of Namibia where he attended the inauguration ceremony of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. The ceremony which coincided with the Republic’s 35th Anniversary of Independence Day was held today, Friday, 21 March 2025 at the State House in Windhoek. The President was accompanied by the Minister […]
FAREWELL TO A MAN OF INTEGRITY
On 14 March 2025 many of us gathered at one of the Johannesburg cemeteries to bury a South African whom many speakers hailed as a person of integrity, who dedicated his life to the betterment of his fellow human beings. This was the businessman, Khomotso Jacob ‘Bobby’ Makwetla, who, among other engagements, was a distinguished […]
EXTRAORDINARY SADC SUMMIT WITHDRAWS TROOPS FROM DRC
“The Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), here after called “Summit”, was held on the 13th of March 2025, to deliberate on the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Summit was officially opened and chaired by His Excellency Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, […]
PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA RECEIVES PRESIDENT CHAPO OF MOZAMBIQUE
President Cyril Ramaphosa has today Tuesday, 4 March 2025, received His Excellency President Daniel Chapo of the Republic of Mozambique for a meeting at his official residence, Genadendal, in Cape Town. President Chapo was recently inaugurated President of the Republic of Mozambique, which is a close partner and immediate neighbor of South Africa. President Chapo’s […]