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21 October 2025 Issue 342 -Â Africa's Diplomatic Leverage
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| South Africa's Diplomatic Leverage in a Fragmenting World |
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Newly accredited Heads of Mission pictured with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (photo: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS)
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The recent presentation of credentials by 18 new Heads of Mission at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria took place on 2 October at a time of accelerating global realignment. What may appear to be ceremonial protocol is, in strategic terms, an indicator of shifting calculations in global power, emerging blocs of influence, and Africa’s expanding role in shaping outcomes rather than absorbing them.
The accreditation of ambassadors from Latin America, North Africa, West Africa, South Asia, Central Asia, Scandinavia, and Southern Europe reveals Pretoria's position not only as a bilateral partner, but as a geopolitical relay point in emerging multilateral architectures designed to challenge the inertia and asymmetry of traditional power centres.
South Africa’s foreign policy has shifted from perception management to policy assertion. It has assumed a leadership role in contesting selective justice within international law, resisting coerced geopolitical alignment, and pressing for global governance reforms that reflect new distributions of political and economic agency.
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BRICS+ media landscape strengthens with expert insights from South African international affairs specialists
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Expert opinions of South African international relations specialists and diplomats will now reach a wider audience across the BRICS+ information space. TV BRICS has launched a new partnership in South Africa with The Diplomatic Society, a media platform specialising in international relations. The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by TV BRICS CEO Janna Tolstikova and The Diplomatic Society Director Anisha Pemjee.
The partners will collaborate to promote humanitarian and economic cooperation among BRICS members and partner countries, develop professional expert communities, and contribute to an objective analytical assessment of international events in the media landscape.
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| Defining the National In a Time of Global Disruption |
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Pictured (l-r) Former President Kgalema Motlanthe, KMF Executive Trustee Mrs Gugu Motlanthe, UN DSG Amina Mohammed, and UN Resident Coordinator Nelson Muffuh (photo: KMF)
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As the world grapples with overlapping crises — from geopolitical tensions and economic protectionism to the disruptive rise of artificial intelligence — the 2025 Drakensberg Inclusive Growth Forum, hosted by the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation, convened leading thinkers, global partners, youth voices, and policymakers under the theme: “Defining the National Interest: Our Greatest Priorities Including Geopolitics, Trade and Inclusive Growth.”
In her opening strategic overview, Mrs. Gugu Motlanthe delivered a piercing assessment of South Africa’s trajectory, warning that “political freedom without economic justice has become an empty vessel.” She called for massive investment in digital skills and grassroots development, emphasizing that “our people are not waiting for handouts — they are waiting for a chance: a chance to build, to work, to rise.” She further reminded delegates that transformation must not be a buzzword but a “moonshot” — demanding imagination, sacrifice, and a shared vision for an inclusive and sustainable future.
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| Growing Support for Venezuela, the spirit of Hugo Chavez Lives on |
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Pictured (l-r) Professor Tomás Camacho, Former Deputy Minister of Communes of Venezuela, Jane Mufamadi, CEO of Freedom Park, Ambassador of Venezuela in South Africa Carlos Feo Acevedo and Ambassador of Venezuela in Angola, Belen Orsini (photo: TDS)
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The legacy of Hugo Rafael Chávez FrĂas, the revered former President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, continues to inspire revolutionary movements and the pursuit of justice across continents. Recently, Chávez was posthumously honoured at Freedom Park in Pretoria, South Africa, where his name was inscribed on the Wall of Names — alongside global heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for freedom, equality, and human dignity.
This solemn tribute marked the recognition of Chávez as a global revolutionary as well as highlighting the deep and enduring bonds of solidarity between South Africa and Venezuela, two nations forged in resistance against oppression and imperialism.
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| Haddadi Championed Reparatory Justice at Inaugural Diaspora Week |
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‍Deputy Minister Alvin Botes and African Union Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi
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Ambassador Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission concludes a productive working visit to South Africa amid the Inaugural Diaspora Week. The working visit was marked by high-level political engagement, solemn remembrance, and a reinforced commitment to Pan-African solidarity.
The Inaugural Diaspora Week initiated and hosted from 8 to 10 October 2025 by the Government of South Africa, under the theme “Promoting Socio-Economic and Cultural Rights as forms of Reparatory Justice,” anchored the Deputy Chairperson’s visit to Pretoria.
The Diaspora Week activities highlighted reparatory justice, memorialization, spirituality and healing, emphasizing the African Union's commitment to strengthening its strategic partnership with the Republic of South Africa and engaging meaningfully with its diaspora community during this significant week.
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| SA call for Climate Finance without Debt |
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As South Africa readies for the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, government has reaffirmed its call for increased climate finance to support developing economies - emphasising that such assistance should not create new debt burdens.
“Developing-economy nations require scaled-up, predictable, and accessible funding for mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage. These must be in the form of grants and concessional finance, not new debt,” Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dr Dion George said.
Addressing the COP30 National Stakeholder Consultation in Johannesburg, the Minister stressed that climate finance remains central to meaningful action.
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