Cape Town – Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has said that the government will not compromise on its foreign policy, including its pursuit of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel, despite pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration.
Trump has threatened sanctions against South Africa, including freezing future funding, allegedly as retaliation for the country’s legal action against Israel over the Gaza conflict.
Speaking at the ANC’s National Executive Committee meeting in Boksburg on Sunday, Lamola emphasised that South Africa’s foreign policy is guided by its Constitution, the Foreign Services Act, and the National Development Plan.
“There are issues that we will never compromise on because they are the foundational values of our international policy and that is in relations to international law, its respect to the ICJ matter, our outlook on human rights and also our own domestic issues, which are foregrounded on the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. On issues of transformation, even the International Human Rights Council in Geneva has confirmed that South Africa does need to redress on the land question. So we can’t compromise on those issues of principle,” the minister said.
[WATCH]
Relations between South Africa and the US have been deteriorating since President Donald Trump called some South African laws discriminatory to a minority group. DIRCO Minister Ronald Lamola addressed the media at the ANC NEC. pic.twitter.com/oe1FnQG8FT— SABC News (@SABCNews) March 30, 2025
“We remain open to engage on trade issues, trade relations, to open up and continue to co-operate with the United States of America on the trade issues and any other country in the world.”
He also dismissed the DA’s interference in foreign policy matters, asserting that policy decisions must be challenged through legal channels.
“With regards to whether we will now consult with the DA on South Africa’s policy, we have stated it from the beginning of our term that our foreign policy is informed by the Constitution, it’s informed by the national interest document, it’s informed by the foreign services Act and it is also informed by the national development plan. And that is whey we are implementing,” said Lamola.
“We are not implementing something that is out of the laws of this country, which is not mandated, we is not policy. And as the DA raises these issues, these policies have been adopted even before the 7th administration. So it is also an issue of the rule of law to follow these policies and to follow them and to implement them. So we will also be breaking the law if we don’t implement what has already been adopted by Parliament, what has already been adopted by Cabinet. So if the DA wants these to be reviewed, the process must be followed.”
Lamola reiterated that the ANC, as a non-racial party, is not concerned about the racial background of South Africa’s next ambassador to the US.
“With regards to whether the ambassador to the USA should be white or black, the ANC is a non-racial organisation and as we look at the ambassador who will be appointed by the president, in terms of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, we are going to look for a capable South African that we believe is fit and proper, meets the requirements of being an ambassador to the United States or to any other country that we want to deploy that person to,” he said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
