Analysts: state worried about G7’s response

• Analysts say government is concerned there may be consequences for its position on Ukraine

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to send a team of ministers as envoys to Group of Seven (G7) countries to explain SA’s nonaligned position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a sign of the government’s concern that its position is either misunderstood or not accepted by these countries, political commentators say.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to send a team of ministers as envoys to Group of Seven (G7) countries to explain SA’s nonaligned position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a sign of the government’s concern that its position is either misunderstood or not accepted by these countries, political commentators said on Thursday.

In his speech on the presidency’s vote in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said the envoys will include international relations & co-operation minister Naledi Pandor, trade, industry & competition minister Ebrahim Patel, finance minister Enoch Godongwana and minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.

The G7 gathers some of the world’s most advanced economies and SA’s major trading partners and includes Canada, France, Italy, the UK, the US and the EU. They are mobilising an initial US$8.5bn for SA to prevent up to 1.5 gigatonnes of emissions over the next 20 years and support its move away from coal to a low-emission, climate-resilient economy.

The mission comes at a time when SA’s relationship with its international trading partners is tense due to its nonaligned stance on the Russian war in Ukraine. SA continues to maintain close military and diplomatic relations with Russia.

There is concern that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will be invited to the Brics summit, which will take place in SA in August.

Ramaphosa said concerns over SA’s nonaligned position had to be dealt with directly and openly.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said he found it “bizarre” that SA has to explain its nonaligned position. “If you have to explain a nonaligned position it shows that you have clearly not been regarded as nonaligned. It is definitely a panic station,” he said.

“Let’s just hope that they are not given short shrift by the G7 countries who recently hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky [at the G7 summit held in Japan]. I think they are going to have a difficult time explaining away a nonaligned position with the Lady R saga hanging over their heads, the war games that took place outside Durban [with Russia] and the repeated visits of senior people to Moscow. It’s hardly a nonaligned position,” Steenhuisen said. “It is going to be quite interesting to see the creative political gymnastics they are going to be required to do to justify a nonaligned position when SA has been anything but nonaligned.”

Nelson Mandela University associate professor of political science Ntsikelelo Breakfast said the dispatch of the envoys is a sign the government is worried that there might be dire consequences as a result of its position on Ukraine.

“The government is worried that the US might be applying soft power in the form of sanctions on SA. The mere fact that we have been associating ourselves with the Russian government is a sign of betrayal for the US,” Breakfast said.

University of Pretoria senior lecturer in political science Sithembile Mbete said: “I think it is a pre-emptive strike to prevent any further economic fallout, particularly with the trade agreements that may be up for negotiation or renegotiation soon, such as Agoa [African Growth and Opportunity Act]. I think that is what has probably led to it.” Agoa gives some SA exports preferential access to the US market.

Mbete said if there were adequate bilateral diplomacy in Pretoria, which has the secondlargest number of embassies outside Washington, the dispatch of envoys would not be necessary. It seemed SA has not properly communicated its position and that the bilateral engagements have not been particularly effective.