By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says South Africa will continue to support efforts to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Ntshavheni was speaking in Russia at the 11th International Meeting of High-Ranking officials responsible for security matters.
Her trip to Moscow had raised eyebrows as it came on the back of South Africa being accused, by the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Bridgety, of supplying arms to Russia.
“We believe that such a conflict should be ended through peaceful negotiations and engagement. South Africa and other African nations are standing ready to facilitate the negotiations, given the lessons we learnt during the negotiations that led to the creation of free and democratic South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to be part of a group, including five other African heads of state, to travel to Russia and Ukraine next month to attempt to facilitate peace.
Ntshavheni also welcomed the opportunity to share views and insights at the 11th International Meeting of High-Ranking officials responsible for security matters.
“The world we live in is changing at a very fast pace bringing with both challenges and opportunities for humanity, as individuals, countries, regions and the global society in general,” Ntshavheni said.
Ntshavheni said climate change, unprecedented levels of migration as a result of conflicts and wars, the pursuit of economic opportunities, and the adoption of ICTs, among others, were creating both new opportunities for development and threats against nation states.
“These changes are worsening the development trajectory of developing countries, particularly in Africa and South Africa to be specific.
“The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has confirmed to the government and people of South Africa and the African continent that if the global community were committed to the eradication of disease in Africa, concerted efforts would have been made to develop affordable vaccines for diseases such as Malaria, Ebola, Typhoid and others that continue to plague our continent and people,” Ntshavheni said.
Ntshavheni said despite Africa being the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the global community were non-committal to pleas to finance, in reasonable and affordable terms, of the economic recovery and reconstruction programmes in Africa through participation in the investment initiatives of African governments including South Africa.
“Still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that shrunk South Africa’s economy to 2016 levels with severe implications for employment and the fight against poverty.
“South Africa has, in the last three years, annually suffered severe floods that devastated public and economic infrastructure in three Provinces and reversed the strides made with regard to improving food security, eradication of poverty and unemployment and creating an equal society,”Ntshavheni said.
She told the meeting that the floods were not limited to South Africa but affected other countries in Southern African, and that their impact on soil structure is forcing are design of the spatial plans.
“Therefore, although South Africa is able to use space technology for accurate weather prediction over alonger period of time, the need to redesign spatial plans and the extent of the mass displacements of families, the resettlement programme cannot be completed in a short time, “Ntshavheni said.