Ronald Lamola will need to be more accountable and pragmatic as foreign minister – pundits

1 Jul 2024

Pressure from government of national unity partners will oblige Ronald Lamola to consult more in his new role, say analysts.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola will provide basic continuity in South Africa’s foreign policy but should be more pragmatic, transparent and accountable than his predecessor, analysts believe.

President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Lamola, previously Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, to the foreign affairs ministry in the government of national unity (GNU), replacing Naledi Pandor who had held the post since 2019.

The fact that he will represent a broad range of parties in the GNU will oblige him to be less ideological and more transparent and accountable than Pandor had been, particularly on the Israel-Palestine issue, some foreign policy pundits said. They believe the ANC might lose some of its dominance in foreign policy.

Western diplomats said it would be naïve to expect a real change in SA’s foreign policy, but that Lamola came without some of the baggage which Pandor had been carrying on the Palestine-Israel issue. This included the perception by some that she had been too close to Hamas – and also her controversial call on South African activists to demonstrate at Western embassies in protest against their support for Israel.

Pragmatic continuity

The new minister’s appointment “represents a sense of continuity with Lamola having a feel of the big international stage and also engaging in aspects of international relations in his previous capacity as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development,” said Sanusha Naidoo, a senior foreign policy analyst at the Institute for Global Dialogue.

She noted that Lamola’s international experience included his participation in the case of genocide which SA brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice, but also his work with the United Nations and BRICS on peace, security and justice issues.

Lamola also gained international experience through his attempt to extradite the Gupta brothers to stand trial on State Capture charges, and through the protracted litigation to determine whether former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang should be extradited to Mozambique or the United States.

Naidoo said the good rapport Lamola had established with Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) director-general Zane Dangor through some of these cases would stand him in good stead now, particularly when SA took over the chair of the G20 next year, as Dangor is the sherpa for that process.

Jakkie Cilliers, chairperson for the Institute for Security Studies, said: “Lamola is not from the exile ANC with its deep ideological grounding, and will probably be more pragmatic.”

He thought Lamola would be less ideological than Pandor, particularly on the Palestine-Israel issue.

“But he will be careful. A less ideological foreign policy will follow simply from the fact that the ANC has lost its majority.

“He does not have extensive experience in this area and may struggle to find his footing, so will hopefully rely on professionals within Dirco and advice from the economics cluster for guidance rather than just from the ANC.

“Should be good for SA!”

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Gustavo de Carvalho, senior researcher at the SA Institute of International Affairs, thought that SA’s foreign policy would not undergo drastic changes under Lamola.

“Key issues, such as support for Palestine, will likely remain consistent. This has been a cornerstone of South African foreign policy for the past 30 years and is arguably the most critical non-African foreign policy file.

“Regarding Ukraine, South Africa is expected to continue pushing for its shuttle diplomacy role.”

He thought that South Africa’s pursuit of a stronger voice for African countries and the broader Global South, as well as the focus on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and BRICS, would remain priorities.

But De Carvalho agreed with Naidoo that Lamola would “bring his own flavour” to foreign policy through his engagement with international law, “potentially influencing South Africa’s stance on international legal issues”.

Like Cilliers, he predicted a shift towards a more transparent and informed foreign policy, under pressure from the GNU and Parliament.

“Unlike the previous administration which could afford more ambiguous positions on certain topics, the current political climate demands greater transparency. All stakeholders will expect to be well informed and reassured about the country’s foreign policy decisions, and this shift is a promising development.”

De Carvalho specifically expected a “ reduction in the ANC’s capacity to unilaterally determine foreign policy priorities”. This would give greater autonomy to Dirco, and Parliament was likely to become more involved in foreign policy matters, primarily through the International Relations Portfolio Committee.

“It will be interesting to see whether the International Relations portfolio in Parliament will be assigned to another party,” he said.

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De Carvalho also welcomed the continuity in foreign policy that would be provided by the retention of Alvin Botes as deputy minister, though the other deputy minister, Candith Mashego-Dlamini, was replaced by a relatively unknown new MP, Thandi Moraka, who was until recently a member of the Limpopo provincial legislature. Between 2018 and 2022 she was MEC for sport, arts and culture in that province’s government.

‘Unhealthy and hypocritical’

Karen Milner, national chair of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, said, “We have always found Pandor’s position on the Middle East to have been divisive as she appeared to have an unhealthy and hypocritical obsession in singling out the Jewish state.

“While we have had a difficult relationship with Lamola, following his denial of a rise in anti-Semitism, we hope that in the new government, this will be addressed.”

Milner was referring to Lamola’s statement to the BBC in February, that any claims of anti-Semitism in South Africa are “not based on any facts” and are a “figment of [his] imagination”.

“This was in spite of a 631% increase in recorded anti-Semitic incidents in the country between 7 October and the end of 2023,” Milner said.

SA BDS Coalition spokesperson Roshan Dadoo said it “welcomes the appointment of Ronald Lamola as Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.

“In his former role as Minister of Justice, Lamola demonstrated his commitment to ending the Israeli state’s genocide, apartheid and occupation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague.

“We salute Naledi Pandor, the outgoing minister, for her principled and unwavering support for the just struggle of the Palestinian people for self-determination, justice and equality. Our case at the ICJ against Israel under the Genocide Convention has been celebrated around the world.

“In massive demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people, calling for a ceasefire, people are flying the South African flag alongside the Palestinian one – in the UK, Ireland, the US, in our continent and the Global South.

“We are sure that our new government will be proud of its international standing and will take all measures to ensure our country is not complicit in Apartheid Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people. Failure to do so will damage our country’s international reputation and serve to mobilise South Africans against the GNU.

“The vast majority of our people support the just struggle of the Palestinian people and oppose genocide. For us, it is a red line. Such a failure will undermine Mandela’s strong belief that ‘our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians’. It is a litmus test.”

Less baggage

A Western diplomat said Lamola’s appointment was a good decision as he was respected.

“I hope no one is naïve enough to expect a change in South Africa’s foreign policy, but having fresh blood is probably useful at this point.”

It was helpful for SA to have a minister who did not, like Pandor, carry the baggage of having had a phone call with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh just days after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on 7 October, or having called for demonstrations against the Pretoria embassies of countries that supported Israel.

These actions by Pandor went down particularly badly in the US Congress and may have jeopardised SA’s continued participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act.

It had originally been speculated that Pandor wished to retire, especially after she was not high enough on the ANC’s parliamentary list to return to Parliament after the party lost 71 seats in the National Assembly in the 29 May election.

But Ramaphosa is allowed to appoint two ministers from outside Parliament and so he could, if he chose, have reappointed her. Some of her officials were adamant she wanted to stay on.

But Ramaphosa’s options were limited by having to give several Cabinet posts to other parties, and so, in the end, it seemed there simply wasn’t space in the GNU’s top ranks for Pandor. DM

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Pragmatic continuity

‘Unhealthy and hypocritical’

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