'Centrality of international diplomacy as an instrument of progress, world peace and mutual prosperity' - Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa with newly accredited Heads of Mission and their partners/colleagues in Pretoria, Tshwane (photo: GCIS)

15 August 2022

On Thursday, 11 August 2022, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa received credentials from 14 Heads of Mission to South Africa. He said that South Africa aims to maintain friendly relations with all countries and that he was pleased that all the continents were represented at the ceremony. “We share a belief in the indivisible unity of humankind and in the centrality of international diplomacy as an instrument of progress, world peace and mutual prosperity.”

The recent global pandemic had set back many economies across the globe and South Africa’s most pressing priority, Ramaphosa said, is a swift and equitable economic recovery that leaves no-one behind. “Since 2020, South Africa has been implementing an Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan to lift our economy out of a prolonged period of slow growth, to create jobs and to undertake far-reaching economic reform.”
He gave a broad overview of government’s effort to make South Africa a country in which it is easier to invest and to do business. Some of the programmes he mentioned are clamping down on corruption and restoring the integrity and credibility of key public institutions; restoring good governance and improving the financial and operational performance of strategic state-owned enterprises. “We are making progress in stabilising public finances, improving financial controls at all levels of government and rooting out graft and mismanagement. We have instituted a number of key policy reforms centred on the network industries, including energy, ports and rail, telecommunications and water infrastructure,” he further explained.

Ramaphosa spoke about the African Continental Free Trade Area and said that it will not only benefit countries on the continent, but will also create conditions for greater flows of trade and investment between Africa and the rest of the world.

South Africa is committed to a stronger, reformed and rules-based multilateralism and in this regard Ramaphosa emphasized that the world shares a responsibility to strive to settle differences within and between countries peacefully. He said that South Africa promotes the centrality of multilateral institutions in managing global affairs and it will continue to urge respect for international law and agreements. “We seek to work with our partners across the world to build a more democratic, just and equitable world order, one which prioritises the needs and interests of the poor and vulnerable. As the peoples of the world, we have a shared interest in ending poverty and in ending disparities of wealth, skills, resources, and access to education, health and social support. South Africa stands ready to work with all governments and peoples towards achieving these objectives.”

Wishing the new envoys well in their missions, the president said, “We trust that your presence in South Africa will further aid our efforts to build a better world that is more egalitarian, that is free of war and conflict, where the rights of women and girls are respected, and where we all play our part to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

“We look forward to working with you to strengthen relations between our respective countries and to advance a global economic recovery that leaves no-one behind.”