The Presidency has dismissed what it describes as a sustained misinformation campaign aimed at portraying South Africa as isolated from the rest of the African continent, following recent anti-illegal migration protests.
Addressing a media briefing at the Union Buildings on Wednesday, Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the campaign sought to paint South Africa as a “pariah state”, despite government’s repeated condemnation of vigilantism against foreign nationals and its commitment to enforcing immigration laws within the Constitution.
“Over the last two months, we have observed a sustained campaign that seeks to isolate South Africa from the rest of the African continent, under the guise of protesting against the recent wave of anti-illegal migration protests that we have recently experienced here in South Africa.
“This campaign has sought to create an impression that South Africa is now a pariah state, which must be referred to international courts,” he said.
Magwenya said the campaign ignored numerous official government statements condemning attacks on foreign nationals and affirming that the enforcement of immigration laws remains the responsibility of the state.
He also raised concern over what he described as the deliberate spread of false information by a diplomatic representative.
“More concerning has been the peddling of false information by a diplomatic representative of a country that has become central to this campaign. Even ordinary diplomatic exchanges over meetings have been deliberately misrepresented to create an impression that South Africa is being isolated,” he said.
Magwenya stressed that the Presidency rejects attempts to misrepresent the country’s international standing.
“As the Presidency, we firmly reject and caution against the peddling of false information against South Africa, and we further assert that any campaign that seeks to misrepresent what South Africa is and represents will be rejected with the utmost contempt that it deserves,” Magwenya said.
He said recent diplomatic engagements demonstrate that South Africa continues to enjoy strong relations both on the continent and internationally.
“Recent evidence shows that this false campaign, concerning as it is, is faltering. South Africa is not isolated. On the contrary, South Africa remains firmly engaged with our African continent and the rest of the world,” he said.
Magwenya pointed to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent working visit to France, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and co-chaired the Leaders Group meeting of the High-Level Steering Committee on Education alongside the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) before attending the Transforming Education Summit +4.
He said the engagements reaffirmed France as a strategic partner and demonstrated South Africa’s active role in shaping global education priorities.
“This demonstrates a South Africa and a President that is fully engaged with contributing towards a better Africa and a better world,” he said.
Magwenya also highlighted President Ramaphosa’s engagements with African leaders through bilateral meetings, telephone calls, Bi-National Commissions and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summits, including discussions with the Presidents of Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
He further cited the President’s recent working visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where South Africa pledged financial support to assist the country’s response to the Ebola outbreak and continued working with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
“This is a South Africa that is engaged with the African continent and that can never be isolated,” he said.
The spokesperson also highlighted International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola’s recent visit to South Sudan as South Africa’s representative in the African Union Committee of Five, which oversees the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement in that country.
According to Magwenya, Lamola reported renewed optimism that an inclusive national dialogue would take place and that the electoral process would remain credible.
“For South Africa it remains vital that the elections in South Sudan are inclusive, transparent and fair, and that the security environment is conducive to conducting free and fair elections,” the spokesperson said.
Magwenya reiterated that South Africa’s diplomatic engagements across the continent underscore its commitment to peace, regional integration and multilateral cooperation.
“Once again, we assert that South Africa is not isolated and can never be isolated from the rest of the African continent,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
