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For three decades, the ANC has shaped South Africa’s diplomatic direction, deeply influenced by its solidarity with liberation movements, the Global South, and strategic partnerships within the BRICS grouping. Following the ANC’s loss of majority in the 2024 National Elections, the party opted for Government of National Unity (GNU) which included the DA, bringing together two distinct foreign policy visions under one government.
With the liberal DA as a key coalition partner, the GNU represents a dynamic balance between the ANC’s legacy ties and the DA’s Western-aligned approach. This divide became especially evident at the recent BRICS Summit, when President Cyril Ramaphosa called Russia a “valued ally and friend,” only for John Steenhuisen, DA leader and Agriculture Minister, to openly reject that characterization, underscoring the sharp contrasts within the GNU regarding South Africa’s foreign policy direction.
The DA’s influence, along with that of other coalition members, could temper South Africa’s historic criticism of Western policies, emphasizing instead the economic importance of Western markets for South African goods. While the ANC remains supportive of partnerships within BRICS, the DA and smaller coalition parties are cautious about jeopardizing vital Western trade relationships over warming ties with Russia or other nations seen as “rogue states.”
This lecture will explore these emerging dynamics and what might South Africa’s new role look like as it engages with both the Global South and Western nations as it prepares to host the G20 in 2025 the first African Nation to do so.
Raymond Willemse is the Joernalis in die Huis. He has been a journalist with Media24 for over a decade, contributing to publications like Die Burger, Beeld, and two Community Newspapers Eikestadnuus and District Mail where he has covered a wide range of topics. He is driven by a natural curiosity and a passion for exploring how politics affects everyday South Africans. His work has taken him to significant events such as various political conferences, the 2024 National Elections, and the BRICS conference held in Johannesburg in December 2023. In addition to his reporting, he writes columns for Afrikaans daily newspapers, provides political commentary on the radio programs Kommentaar and Radio Kansel, and frequently appears as a guest on kykNET’s TV Actuality program Wie’s Nuus.
Join us for Raymond’s lecture at the Zuid-Afrikahuis or watch the livestream on YouTube.
