Ramaphosa Delivers Strong Message: ‘We Will Not Be Bullied

Blessing Malinga

1 year ago

Those who belittle South Africa will not stand a chance under President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership, as stated in his State of the Nation Address.

He stated that South Africa is very capable of navigating the ever-changing and treacherous waters of global geopolitics.

Global leaders are pursuing narrow interests, he said, and the country is seeing the rise of protectionism and nationalism.

“This is the world that we, a developing economy, must now navigate. But we are not daunted to navigate our path through this world that constantly changes,” said Ramaphosa.

“We will not be deterred. We are a resilient people and we will not be bullied.”

This stern message by Ramaphosa, which received loud applause and cheers in the National Assembly, comes after South Africa was in the past two weeks under an international microscope after leaders of the US and Rwanda censured the country.

It started with Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, who along with government officials criticised the presence of South African troops in the eastern DRC, claiming it was not for peacekeeping but to protect financial interests of many, including Ramaphosa himself.

Kagame also accused Ramaphosa of lying on the outcomes of their telephone conversation, where Ramaphosa is said to have warned that the continued firing towards the South African troops by M23 and the Rwandan Defence Force would be viewed as a declaration of war.

US President Donald Trump also zoomed into the affairs of South Africa this week, voicing what he says are concerns over the Expropriation Act that Ramaphosa signed into law.

He claimed that the country under Ramaphosa was doing “very wrong things” and that there was confiscation of private properties.

But Ramaphosa said South Africa had survived apartheid, which sought to dehumanise its people, suggesting the county would also defend and survive this.

“We will stand together and speak with one voice in defence of our national interests, our sovereignty and our constitutional democracy by standing true to our values, by harnessing our unique strengths and endowments, and by forging a common purpose we can turn these trying circumstances to our advantage and propel our country forward.”

He said South Africa stood for peace and justice, equality and solidarity. “We stand for a non-racial future and we stand for democracy and tolerance as well as compassion. We stand for equal rights for women and people living with disability and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We stand for our shared humanity, not for the survival of the fittest,” he said.

His comments come after he had a telephonic conversation with Trump’s right hand-man Elon Musk to try to explain that their view on what was happening in South Africa was completely wrong.