NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

7

ANC INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:

A BETTER AFRICA IN A BETTER
AND JUST WORLD
INTRODUCTION
1.   The ANC celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the
Freedom Charter in 2015.   Encompassed within
the Charter is the clause “There shall be peace and
friendship” which is central to the implementation
of the ANC International Relations policy.
2.   The ANC, our Alliance partners and the Mass
Democratic Movement (MDM) are gearing
themselves in preparation for the forthcoming
National General Council to be held later this year.
3.   The NGC is a constitutional gathering whose overall
strategic mandate is to evaluate the organisational
progress report, to review and consolidate new
policy proposals, and more importantly to appraise
the role of our National Liberation Movement into
the future.
4.  The ANC is revolutionary national liberation
movement which is an integral part of the
international revolutionary movement to liberate
humanity from the bondage of imperialism and
neo colonialism.
5.  Over the years of our struggle for liberation, our
political, economic and ideological ethos has
been based on our revolutionary principles of
internationalism and solidarity. Our historic mission
is to build a better Africa and a better World that is
humane, just, equitable, democratic, and free.
6.  Our cadres have to appreciate that the international
relations question is the most complex terrain of
struggle. It is primarily about power and hegemony.
7.  At the heart of this important question is how we
locate our national interest within the unfolding
world realities. Our foremost immediate task is to
expand the influence of our nation state as part of
the common effort to transform the world into a
better place for humanity.

8.  The NGC provides an important platform to expand
our horizons in this complex terrain of our struggle.
The premise is to build a special cadre of the ANC
capable of taking forward the objectives of the
second phase of our transition for socio economic
transformation of our society in the context of our
international relations.
9.  We therefore present to our structures and
membership this discussion document, which
seeks to analyse the international balance of forces,
and the extent to which they impact on our own
specific concrete material conditions as a country
and the continent.

2.   CHARACTERISATION OF THE WORLD
TODAY
1.  The world has become an arena of protracted
struggle characterized by legacies spanning
thousands of years. The panorama of nationalities,
languages, cultures and traditions characterizing
the theatre of the world gives credence to the
popular song “Yinde Lendlela Esiyihambayo’ (It is a
long journey that we traverse)
2.  What remains important is our endless contribution
to this historic task of human development. The
guiding strategy is our political, economic and
ideological basis for taking certain principled
positions in the midst of these most complex world
realities.
3.  One of the important tasks of our National
Democratic Revolution (NDR) is to grapple with the
demands of the ever-changing complex world’s
material conditions. Our theoretical understanding
of the world is derived from the traditions of our
movement of the analysis of the balance of forces.
4.  The balance of forces is about our understanding

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of the concrete analysis of the dynamic world
material conditions and how they impact on our
own particular conditions. It is imperative to grasp
the complexities of the world environment and
the extent to which they influence the pace and
the direction of the NDR.

increasing destabilization of regions outside
the West and generated new conflicts. This is
compounded by declining international solidarity,
which is decreasing the ability of multilateral
organisations to develop solutions to global and
regional conflicts.

5.  The dialectic relationship between theory and
practice in the struggle for the transformation
of society is important for various reasons. Of
importance to this dialectical relationship is the
notion that theory without practice is sterile.

13.  There is a fundamental need to appreciate the
reality that we are taking forward the tasks of our
revolution under the most complex and fragile
conditions dominated by the world industrial
military complex. The global economic trajectory is
on a path to serve the interests of the international
monopoly capital.

6.  This theoretical formulation is affirmed by Vladimir
Lenin when he maintains that, “revolutionary
scientific theory is the weapon to make us judge
and define the methods of struggle correctly. It is
a weapon that helps us analyse and understand
correctly the cause of development of human
society at every moment, to analyse and understand
correctly every turning point of society and to carry
out the revolutionary transformation of society”.
7.  Our historic conjuncture of the 1994 democratic
breakthrough took place against the backdrop of
events of far reaching political significance. These
historic events changed the theatre of the balance
of forces in the world.
8.  The democratic breakthrough took place against
the backdrop of the demise of socialism in the
Soviet Union and the Eastern European states. A
defining moment, which caught the imagination
of the world, at the time, was the fall of the Berlin
Wall, which separated the East from West Germany.
9.  The sudden collapse of socialism in the world
altered completely the balance of forces in favour of
imperialism. It ushered in a new world hegemonic
era of global socio economic agenda of capitalism
and free market imperatives.
10.  The world is navigating through a complex period
of a transition from a bipolar into an increasingly
contested unipolar world led by the US. There is
still an increased contestation of ideas between
the two previously opposing hegemonic systems
of the world.
11.  Our transition to democracy is taking place against
the backdrop of a global economy buttressed by
the worse global economic crisis at any time since
the 1930s. The world economy is underpinned
by growing features of poverty, disease and
underdevelopment.
12.  The world economic meltdown has led to

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14.  Imperialism has plunged humanity in a perpetual
socio-economic crisis. The high levels of
poverty, inequality, unemployment, disease and
underdevelopment confirm our long held view
that the capitalist market economy cannot resolve
its own contradictions.
15.  Western economies have become the epicenter
of the world financial crisis.  Most of the EU nation
states were compelled by the worsening economic
conditions to impose harsh austerity measures that
saw huge cuts on social spending, privatization of
key sectors of the economy, high levels of inflation,
decreased standards of living and increasing
inequalities and underdevelopment.
16.  The increasing level of income inequalities amongst
and within most of the world nation states remains
a serious challenge. Statistics indicate that more
than 870 million people in the world everyday
sleep without food. At the same time 1% of the
world population owns 50% of the wealth.
17.  The deteriorating world economic crisis has a
tremendous adverse effect on the economy of
our country and therefore our revolutionary
programme
for
radical
socio-economic
transformation.
18.  Despite our achievements since the democratic
breakthrough in 1994, our people are still facing
the structural consequences of the apartheid
colonial realities oppression and exploitation.
Our people bear the brunt of poverty, inequality,
unemployment, disease, and underdevelopment
which is still the principal characteristic of our
society.
19.  The question we need to ask ourselves is whether
we have been able to consolidate the posture of
our foreign policy in the continent and the world
to advance our national interest? In other words

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
how do we distinguish our analysis of the world
balance of forces and how they impact on our
foreign policy perspective?
20.  Our sphere of influence is underpinned by our
understanding of the global economic power
relations. Of importance are where to commence
with our theoretical formulation of our national
interest from the world perspective in general and
our country in particular.
21.  One of the crucial questions is whether we are
able to use the opportunities we enjoy in the
international relations platforms to advance the
objectives of our national interest. Of importance
do we relate to our understanding of the principles
of internationalism and solidarity to achieve the
fundamental objectives of our national democratic
revolution?
22.  Our answer to this question will help us expand our
sphere of influence within the international arena.
Therefore our main objective is to consolidate the
leadership role of our country within the realms of
the international world.
23.  The main objective of our revolution is to create
prospects for meaningful participation of the
majority of our people into the mainstream
economy. Therefore ours is the transformation of
our economy in a manner that responds to the
demands of the overwhelming majority of the
people of our country.
24.  Our perspective on human solidarity and
internationalism has informed the role of South
Africa on the international platform. Our approach
is informed by our struggle to create a world, which
is a better place for all humanity.
25.  Our strategic approach is to strengthen multilateral
institutions such as the SADC, AU and the UN to
achieve the overall objectives of creating a just,
equitable and humane world.
26.  History is a testimony that the US effectively using
its aggressive foreign policy to advance its national
interests. In most instances it has been supporting
undemocratic changes of government as an
instrument to serve its global agenda.
27.  But on the contrary, lack of democracy has been
used as an excuse for US intervention in areas
where its national interests are under threat.
National interest has become an important factor
in determining the world balance of forces.
28.  While the economic situation described above

presents a gloomy picture, the rise of emerging
economies led by China in the world economy
has heralded a new dawn of hope for further
possibilities of a new world order.
29.  In the past twenty years of our democratic
dispensation, we have witnessed an increased
growth of trade relations between our country and
the People Republic of China. China–South Africa
trade and investment has been on a pedestal both
quantitatively and qualitatively.
30.  The trade volumes between China and South Africa
have far surpassed the value of USD $400billion
in this current year. But whilst we appreciate this
phenomenal growth, more has to be done.
31.  Our economic relations have grown in leaps and
bounds into investment and beneficiation of
both our industrial and manufacturing goods.
We therefore have to use the opportunities of
these great economic prospects between our
two economies to build the friendship of our two
people.
32.  China economic development trajectory remains
a leading example of the triumph of humanity
over adversity. The exemplary role of the collective
leadership of the Communist Party of China in this
regard should be a guiding lodestar of our own
struggle.
33.  The rise of China as the second strongest economy,
with the re-emergence of economies of Russia,
and major countries of the South, is gradually
redefining the world towards a multi-polar order.
Therefore, the growing influence of China on the
global economy is an important factor in the
balance of global power relations.
34.  Further giving credence to “shifting balance of
forces”, as opposed to static observation, of the
dominant US led unipolar world, is the emergence
of BRICS constituted by Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa. The formation of BRICS as a
powerful political and socio economic bloc is
necessarily not just about the size of the population
of the member states but also the abundance of
the requisite markets.
35.  What has become clear is that the formation of
BRICS was a conscious political decision to roll
back the post-World War II Washington Consensus.
The formation of the BRICS Bank and the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank will have a farreaching impact on the development trajectory of
the world institutions such as the World Bank and
the International Monetary Fund.

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36.  Our understanding of the fragile world
environment is important for the success of BRICS
as a regional power block. Of importance is to
ensure that we guard this milestone achievement
against centrality of the Washington Consensus.
As progressive forces our immediate task is to
constantly work towards building an alternative
world that would create a fair, just, equitable and
better environment for all the people of the world.
37.  The US does not appreciate the resurgence of
China and Russia as dominant factors in the arena
of international power relations. It has instead
declared a cold war against these two emerging
world powers.
38.  Its destabilisation strategy against China is on
three fronts:
n  The US is bent on portraying China as the
world’s worst polluter and a threat to the
environment with the intention being to
suggest that China is but a paper tiger whose
economic rise is not sustainable.
n  The US, backed by its ideological apparatus,
has tried a repeat of the Tiananmen Square
against the Chinese government by parading
to the world counter revolution as a popular
uprising and counter revolutionaries as human
rights activists.
n  The US is exploiting China’s dispute with
some of its Asian neighbours over the North
and South China Sea islands to rally these
neighbours against China, including trying to
build an anti-China alliance of Asian satellite
states that will take its orders from Washington.
39.  Russia has not been spared the wrath of US-led
Western imperialism. As with China, the Russian
leadership is constantly being portrayed in the
Western media and official discourse as monsters
abusing human rights. As with China, counter
revolutionary demonstrations and marches are
being staged and given huge publicity in the
Western media in order to destabilise and/provoke
the Russian government.
40.  Whatever genuine concerns may exist within the
Russian population and populations of former
Soviet Union, there is a clear plot to exploit this in
order to contain the rise of Russia globally. It is an
encirclement strategy that seeks to isolate Russia
in the manner that is being attempted on China as
well.
41.  This is the context within which the crisis in Ukraine

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should be understood by the world progressive
forces. The war taking place in Ukraine is not
about Ukraine. Its intended target is Russia. As with
China, Russia’s neighbours are being mobilised
to adopt a hostile posture against Moscow, and
enticed to join the European Union and NATO.  
Pro-West satellite states are being cultivated or as
we saw with the coup in Ukraine, even invented,
to encircle Russia and allow their territory to be
used for the deployment of NATO’s hostile military
hardware faced in the direction of Russia. These
Western manoeuvres, directed from Washington,
are reminiscent of Cold War. They have vowed in
Washington that there will be Russia or China to
challenge the US hegemony.
42.  Washington’s sponsored destabilisation is not
limited to Russia and China. We see it unfolding in
the streets of Latin America including in Venezuela
which the US has strangely declared a threat to its
“national security”,  in the Middle East and in African
countries with the sole intention of toppling a
progressive democratically-elected governments.
This has a bearing on the nature of conflict and the
scourge of terrorism we see in the world today.
43.  The South has been rising in a manner that
promises to alter the international balance of
power and offer opportunities for the emergence
of a post-Western world order and Washington is
in a fighting mood to ensure that this does not
happen.

3.  THE STRUGGLE FOR THE
RECONSTRUCTION AND
REINDUSTRIALISATION OF THE
AFRICAN CONTINENT
1.  This year the people of the African continent and the
world marked the 51st anniversary celebrations of
the formation of the Organisation of African Unity
(OAU). The OAU is the most important political
instrument used over the years of our struggle to
accelerate the process of the decolonialization of
the continent.
2.  The OAU, which is now the African Union (AU), has
played a much significant political leadership role
in the struggle of our people against imperialism
and colonial domination. The AU continues to
occupy the forefront trenches of our struggle
to build a better Africa from the shambles of
imperialism and neo-colonialism.

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
3.  African leaders have identified industrialization
as central to the development of the continent.
Developmental integration as a radical approach
to integration is imperative for our overall strategy
to build the economic base of continental
integration.
4.  Promoting developmental integration across
the existing Regional Economic Communities
culminating in the eventual establishment of
a continental Free Trade Area is a common
endeavour agreed by the continent.
5.  The integration of the African regional blocks
and multilateral structures remain at the heart of
ensuring that our continent occupies its rightful
position in the arena of the global socio-economic
power relations. Unity and cohesion of the people
of our continent is a backbone of our international
relations policy.
6.  This will assist to unite the African continent
against the superficial designs manifest in colonial
boundaries and regional blocs. The fragmentation
of the African continent was a result of the
resolutions of the Berlin Conference of 1884-5.
7.  Our focus is to accelerate the political, social and
economic integration of our continent.   There is
a need to continue strengthening the capacity of
the African Union (AU), its institutions and Regional
Economic Communities.
8.  Our movement has been consistent in its strategic
approach of ensuring that African development
remains at the center of the world development
agenda. At the heart of this strategic approach is
the development of its governance architecture at
continental and regional level.
9.  Centuries of colonial oppression and exploitation
have left our continent at the periphery of the
high levels of poverty, inequality, unemployment,
diseases and underdevelopment. The question we
need to pose to ourselves is whether we have the
necessary capacity to use our political power to
change the living conditions of our people.

need to steer our continent into a more qualitative
trajectory of economic growth and development.
12.  The political economy of the continent is still
characterized by the colonial economic logic of
exporting raw materials while importing valueadded products largely from the developed world.
There is less initiative to beneficiate the economy
in order to increase its productive capacity, and
therefore create more requisite skills and the
necessary job opportunities.
13.  The socio-economic ownership patterns in our
continent have still assumed the posture of the
historical relationship between the former colonies
and colonial master.
14.  We have learned that the achievement of political
independence does not necessarily translate
into economic freedom. Therefore, our task is
to accelerate the development agenda on the
continent through fast-tracking the massive
infrastructural backlog.
15.  The 2012 UN Global Population Report predicts
that the global population will grow by 9, 6billion
people by the year 2050. Currently almost half of
the global population is under the age of 25, with
1, 3billion people between the ages of 12 and 24
years, it should also be noted that Africa is the
second fastest growing population.
16.  The African Economic Outlook Report describes
our continent as the world youngest continent
with 600 million young people. The number of
young people in the continent is growing faster
than anywhere else in the world.
17.  Our continent faces the biggest burden of youth
unemployment crisis. Most of our countries are
unable to create sustainable job opportunities to
the exploding youth population.
18.  The growing discontent amongst the youth in the
continent could lead to explosive conditions that
result in social upheavals, violence and therefore
deepening political instability.

10.  Imperialism and neo-colonial forces are responsible
for the wave of social instability in our continent.
The principal aim is to exploit the human and the
material resources of our continent.

19.  More emphasis is to build on the productive
capacity of the economy of our continent so that
it can respond to the needs of our people. We need
to be proactive in channelling our resources to
enhancing human capital especially the youth.

11.  However, we
our continent
challenges of
institutions to

20.  Our trade relations with the African continent
have grown exponentially. Our trade volumes have
grown larger than our combined trade with all the
European countries.

need to take cognizance that
is still confronted by mammoth
lack of human capital and weak
juxtapose this historic legacy. We

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21.  According to statistics from the Department of
Trade and Industry, in 1994 trade between South
Africa and Africa was R11, 4billion and today is at
R389billion. In the same year our trade volumes
with Asia and the Middle East were at R42billion
and now at R788billion as compared to R439billion
from the European Union.
22.  The vast North American market continues to offer
opportunities for increased value-added exports
and the attraction of FDI, technology transfer and
skills development. The renewal of the African
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) presents
an opportunity to increase trade with the US not
withstanding challenges.
23.  Developments in the Pacific Alliance (Columbia,
Peru, Chile and Mexico) need to be closely
monitored with the view to identify opportunities
for our country.
24.  Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are G20 member
states are destined to become privileged
interlocutors in South Africa’s efforts to improve
regulation of the global political, economic,
social and environmental sectors. Mexico is the
2nd largest manufacturing country by value in
the world and may surpass China by 2018 as the
number one manufacturing country.
25.  Therefore as much as we must appreciate the
increasing economic integration and trade with the
other African states and the world, our democratic
state must continue its work of ensuring that it
becomes the anchor of the development of our
continent.
26.  The apartheid regime has over the years created
a perception that our country is a typical colonial
outpost on the African continent. We therefore,
need to reposition the role of the South African
capital in a manner that advances the objectives
of the reconstruction and development of the
continent.
27.  At the same time we need to understand that
the movement of the South African capital into
the continent is an inevitable objective process
of the development of our productive forces.
Competition is in the nature and the character of
the capitalist system.
28.  Our continent is steadily becoming stable with
most of our countries embracing democratic
practices. However, the tendency by some in
political leadership to remain in power for many
years against the will of the people is a worrisome
phenomenon.

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29.  The phenomenon has become a seedbed for
counter revolutionary activities in the continent.
It also cultivates an environment for social and
political disharmony, creating fertile ground for
manipulation and all sorts of conspiracies by
imperialist and neo-colonial forces.
30.  Whilst achieving some successes, the continent
continue to face social upheavals that characterized
regime change, internal conflicts, violence etc
in countries such as Tunisia, Libya and Egypt,
Lesotho, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic,
Nigeria, Madagascar, Sudan, South Sudan, and
Somalia.  These are the challenges the people of
the continent have to confront.
31.  One of the contributing factors hampering the
political, social and economic integration and
development of the African content is the high
levels of illicit capital flow. Corruption has become
a cancer to our developmental objectives.
32.  The Report by the African Development Bank
and the Global Financial Integrity Institute, reveal
a high calibre analysis of the extent to which the
illicit financial outflows hamper the social and
economic development of the continent.
33.  Each and every year, roughly one trillion dollars
flow illegally out of the developing countries due
to crime, corruption and tax evasion. The estimates
are more than ten times the amount of the foreign
aid flowing into the same economies.
34.  The consequence of the illicit financial outflow is
that it drains hard currency, reserves heightened
inflation, reduce tax collection, cancel investment,
undermine trade, worsen poverty and undermine
income tax.
35.  From the year 1970–2004, the estimated illicit
financial flows from the African continent are at
approximately $854 billion.
36.  The report estimates that the illicit money stolen
by corrupt government officials amount to 3%,
whilst 65% moves across the border through
international trade.
37.  Further compounding the high levels of poverty as
a result of income inequalities amongst the nation
states are the continued challenges of diseases
such as HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and recently Ebola.
38.  Climate change continues to inflict catastrophic
disasters to the poor of the world particularly those
in the developing world.

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
39.  Globally, terrorism remains one of the most serious
concerns. The unfolding situation in the Middle
East and some of the African countries such as
Nigeria, Somalia, Libya, Mali, Kenya and the Sahel
region need our close scrutiny.

n  An Integrated Continent, politically united,
based on the ideals of Pan Africanism;

40.  The growth of international piracy of eastern and
western coasts of Africa hampers trade, security
and commerce in transport corridors that are
crucial for the global economy.

n  A peaceful and secure Africa;

41.  Religious extremism and fundamentalism has
become an anchor of terrorism in the continent.
The terrorist groups with their anti-west radicalism
have reined terror mainly in the East, Central and
the northern parts of the continent.
42.  Western Sahara remains one of the last bastions of
colonialism on the African continent. We need to
accelerate our campaign of demanding that the
UN and AU end the occupation of Western Sahara
by Morocco.
43.  We therefore make a call that the Saharawi people
be given the right to self-determination. Our
movement is committing itself to host a solidarity
conference with the people of Western Sahara.
44.  The new agenda for reconstruction of Africa is about
infrastructure development and industrialisation
of the continent.
45.  But this growth and development will be
meaningless if its benefits only grow the pockets
of the rich and the elites. To be meaningful, it must
be truly transformative, eradicate poverty, reduce
inequality, create jobs, and make our continent
prosperous. This is what the rise of Africa must is
about.
46.  When we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the
OAU/AU, we looked back with satisfaction on
the road we have travelled. But also committed
for doing better in the next fifty years. As part
of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations, the African
Union, during the Summit of May 2013, adopted a
solemn declaration that rededicated the collective
leadership for the development of the continent.
The declaration also called for the development
of a continental agenda that will guide our work
towards a peaceful, integrated and prosperous
Africa, driven by its citizens and taking its rightful
place in the world by 2063.
47.  The evolving Agenda 2063 is currently premised
on seven inspirational pillars, which are:
n  A prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth
and sustainable development;

n  An Africa of good governance, democracy,
respect for Human Rights, Justice and the Rule
of Law;
n  An Africa with strong cultural values and ethics;
n  An Africa where development is people-driven,
relying particularly on the potential of women
and youth; and
n  Africa as a strong and influential global player
and partner.
48.  In highlighting the above aspirations, the African
people unequivocally expressed a collective
desire to uplift the continent from the morass of
underdevelopment and degradation. With Agenda
2063, the AU is rallying all African people to join
the march for the rebirth of the African Continent
in all aspects – to extend our political liberation to
economic, cultural and social liberation.
 

“Agenda 2063 is about the Africa we want to
build in the next 50 years. It connects the Africa
of yesterday to the Africa of today and the Africa
of tomorrow. The Africa of yesterday is the
indispensable lessons we have learnt since the
days of independence some 50 years ago. The
Africa of today is our destiny that is firmly in our
hands with every action we take. The Africa of
tomorrow is the future we are creating through
what we do today.”

4.  OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SECOND
PHASE OF TRANSITION FOR RADICAL
SOCIO ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION
1.  The greatness of any revolution is measured in
terms of its capacity to take forward the aspirations
and the wishes of the people and to make possible
the transformation of society.
2.  The 53rd National Conference in Mangaung
reaffirmed our 52nd Conference resolution
that the ANC is a strategic centre of power. This
resolution remains a cornerstone towards all our
principal goals of reviewing organisational policies
and programmes.
3.  Our 53rd National conference dedicated this
decade to the development of an ANC cadre
capable of taking forward the tasks of the second

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phase of our transition for radical socio economic
transformation of our society.
4.  The task is to build a diplomat of a special kind
in the context of the present complex global
political-socio-economic power relations and our
national interests. This will assist to reposition
us as a powerful force for change in the arena of
international politics.
5.  Since the advent of our democratic breakthrough
in 1994, our people have bestowed our movement
with the mandate to lead the process of
transforming our society. In its capacity as a political
movement and the leader of society, the ANC has
engaged with fraternal parties and governments
at various levels.
6.  At the level of the international arena, our country
was readmitted to the United Nations (UN) and
all other multilateral agencies. In the continent
we continue to dispatch our historic participatory
leadership role in the AU and the SADC community.

5.  PROGRESS REPORT ON THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ANC
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS POLICY
AREAS
1.  Our 53rd National Conference reconfirmed the
ANC as a strategic centre of power. It is from this
premise that our foreign policy perspective is
informed by the decisions of the ANC’s National
Conferences.
2.  The report elucidates progress achieved by both
the ANC international relations subcommittee and
our democratic government over the period of
review. The subcommittee’s report will be covered
under the Organisational Component while
matters of governance will be presented under
the section Governance Component.   However,
the two components must be examined as one
because government implements the decisions
and programmes of the ANC.

7.  Our movement continues to be instrumental in
matters of strategic importance such as equality,
development and peace in regional, continental
and international bodies. Our principal task
continues to be the consolidation of unity and
cohesion of the progressive forces in the continent
and the world.

3.  ORGANISATIONAL COMPONENT

8.  Our foreign policy is at the heart of our domestic
imperatives. The essence is to promote our national
interest to build a humane world order.

n  Party-to-Party, intra-party and multi-party relations

9.  Within this space the ANC should be firm in
promoting peace and stability and at the same
time articulating its domestic imperatives in the
continent and the whole world.
10.  We need to build a stronger continent based on
African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 to ensure that the
strategy of the reconstruction and industrialisation
of our continent benefit our people.   This will
forge the competitive edge of the continent in its
multilateral trade with the rest of the globe.
11.  It is through the unity of the continent that we
can ensure the eradication of poverty, inequality,
unemployment, disease and underdevelopment
as well as promote stability and prosperity.   The
question we must pose is what must be done to
achieve this noble objective?
12.  In this regard, we need a continuous transformation
of our foreign policy to achieve the objectives of
our national democratic revolution.

166

Our organisational programme is anchored on the
following six pillars adopted during our 53rd National
Conference:
n  Building a better Africa and World
n  Continental and International solidarity
n  Transformation of global governance
n  Policy development issues
n  Campaigns

PILLAR I:
Better Africa and Better World
1.  We begin with our programme for Building a Better
Africa. Over the past two and a half-year period
of review, we have made significant progress in
ensuring that our structures and the general public
understand the global political and socio economic
situation. Of more importance was to promote the
spirit of solidarity and internationalism.
2.  We successfully advocated our foreign policy
positions by organizing and participating in
seminars, workshops and other platforms both in
our country and throughout the world. Amongst
others were platforms such as the Africa Institute
of South Africa (AISA), the African Centre for
Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD),

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD), South African
Liaison Organisation (SALO), dialogues hosted by
Universities and solidarity events like Palestinians
Solidarity Week and the Colloquium to Free the
Cuban Five.
3.  We have also embarked on a vigorous programme
of disseminating information through seminars
and cultural exchanges between the different
countries of focus and our Alliance partners.
Amongst the programmes that were implemented
include:
n  A seminar celebrating the 50th Anniversary of
the OAU/AU;
n  A seminar on peace and conflict resolution
with particular reference to the Central African
Republics and South Sudan organised at the
University of the Witwatersrand Business
School;
n  International Relations seminar on Alba-TCP
(Bolivarian Movement);
n  Political Education seminar on “Australian
Labour Party Solidarity with South Africa and
the Labour Accord”;
n  Solidarity programmes on Palestine and Cuba.

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Post2015 Development Agenda
n  In 2014 the plenary session of the United Nations
General Assembly finalized the framework for
the Post-2015 Development Agenda which
will succeed the programme of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) when it expires in 2015.
It is therefore important that the ANC familiarizes
its structures and our people about the Post-2015
Development Agenda which will be a global
programme for combating poverty, inequality,
unemployment and underdevelopment.
n  Our structures must engage our people on
the MDGs and their implementation. We must
also make our structures and broader society
understand the strategic differences between the
MDGs and the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
The ANC membership has to be in the forefront of
our struggle for the achievement of the goals of the
MDGs and the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

The African Union
n  The ANC and our democratic government has to

focus more on strengthening regional economic
integration by promoting NEPAD, utilising the
African Peer Review Mechanism, and consolidating
our participation in AU structures and programmes.
n  In this regard the ANC has been engaging
progressive parties, some of them ruling parties, in
the region and the continent on a party-to-party
level on AU matters. We are confident that this will
go a long way in making sure that the people of
the continent work together for the realization of
the goals of the AU.
The Pan African Parliament (PAP)
n  The year 2014 has been remarkable in the history
of PAP. Much has been achieved to ensure that the
revised protocols facilitate the upgrading of PAP
into a full legislative body.
n  As PAP develops its legislative frameworks and
develop model legislation for the continent, the
ANC together with South Africa (as host) should
take advantage of this positive development, to
mobilise our people in support of this organ of the
AU and its progressive agenda.
n  The construction of the permanent home for PAP
in South Africa is work in progress.
The Pan-African Women’s Organisation (PAWO)
n  The ANC and the ANC Women League are current
faced with the challenges of the establishment of
the Head Quarters as requested by the women of
the continent to have South Africa as the host.
n  The Women’s Wings of MPLA in Angola, ZANUPF in Zimbabwe, SWAPO in Namibia and CCM in
Tanzania have registered their concerns in the
Forum of the Former Liberation Movements in
Southern Africa about the slow pace of progress
as it relates to PAWO and have further raised fears
that the institutions faces imminent collapse in the
hands of South Africa.
n  The matter is receiving urgent attention as the
National Working Committee has established a
task team to ensure that all outstanding matters in
this regard is solved and the institution receives a
home.
Pan African Youth Union (PAYU)
n  The ANC faced some challenges of representation
in the PAYU since the disbandment of the ANC
Youth League (YL) NEC.

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n  The ANC International Relations subcommittee is
working together with relevant ANC structures to
ensure that PAYU challenges are addressed once
the ANC YL NEC is reconstituted.
All-Africa Student Union (AASU)
n  The regional structure of the Southern Africa
Student Union (SASU) attempted to meet in 2013
but due to limited resources the meeting was
unable to take place.   On other areas such as the
AU support to the All-Africa Student Union and the
establishment of the Pan-African University, work
is in progress.
Southern African Development Community (SADC)
n  The ANC and the government play a prominent
role in consolidating the region politically, socially
and economically.
n  The ANC in the Former Liberation Movements
(FLMs) meetings, its party-to-party meetings with
sister parties of FLMs, as well as in meetings with
other ruling parties in the region, continues to
engage to find solutions and develop programmes
to fast-track the regional economic integration,
cultural exchange, people-to-people  and countryto-country development and other integration
programmes.
SADC Parliamentary Forum
n  The transformation of SADC Parliamentary Forum
to a full legislative organ of SADC must serve to
reinforce regional integration ensuring that it
addresses the needs of the peoples of the region.
Work on this is in progress.
Building a Better Africa goes hand in hand with
Building a Better World which includes promoting
South–South Cooperation
n  It is generally accepted that the international
balance of forces are gradually shifting in the
direction of the countries of the South.   SouthSouth Cooperation is important in the South
Africa’s Foreign Policy architecture.
n  In pursuit of the progressive agenda of a better
world, the ANC has in the context of South-South
party-to-party relations engaged with like-minded
sister parties such as the Communist Party of
Cuba, Australian Labour Party, Indian National
Congress, Brazil Workers’ Party,  Former Liberation

168

Movements, POLISARIO, Ethiopian People’s
Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), South
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, National
Congress Party of Sudan, NCD Ghana, Al-Fatah of
Palestine, Baath Party of Syria, PUK of Iraq, and the
Worker’s Party of Brazil. We also met ruling parties
of different ideological orientation to ours to
discuss shared concerns and opportunities.
n  The ANC participates in various forums, seminars
and conferences to strengthen South-South
relations such as in the Sao Paulo Forum; and meets
regularly with fraternal parties on the margins of
such international gatherings.
n  The ANC’s relations with political parties in Latin
America and the Caribbean are weak. Consequently
the ANC has identified strategic political parties
in the region, while strengthening the already
existing relations.
Brazil–India–China–South Africa (BRICS)
n  The ANC led awareness campaigns on BRICS
and hosted a post-BRICS Summit seminar in
partnership with Wits University Business School.
n  On the establishment of the BRICS Bank: The
ANC campaigned strongly through its party-toparty and government-to-government relations
for this Bank to be hosted in South Africa but the
final decision at the BRICS Summit held in Brazil in
2014 concluded that it would be hosted by China
with a regional structure based in South Africa.
n  On the use of BRICS membership: The ANC
is in discussion with the ruling parties of f BRICS
member states to sign a joint Memorandum of
Understanding to promote stronger party-toparty relations in order to utilise the mechanism
to promote party-to-party exchange.   This
mechanism will enable the parties to find common
areas of cooperation that would be beneficial to all
the members of BRICS, and present an alternative
to the Washington Consensus.
n  On consolidation of party–party relations:
The ANC has renewed its Memorandum of
Understanding with the United Russia Party and the
Communist Party of China with regular interaction
and programmes. Bilateral engagements with the
Workers’ Party of Brazil and the Indian National
Congress are underway.
North-South Dialogue
n  The ANC continues to strengthen its existing

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
relations of North-South interaction with sister
parties of the North such as the Social Democratic
Party of Sweden, Social Democratic Party of
Germany, Norwegian Labour Party, Socialist Party of
Spain, and the All United Russian Party, to promote
respect for African Union Processes, respect for
decisions made by African Countries and African
solutions to African problems. Where differences
may arise the ANC engages these political parties
to establish common understanding on those
matters.
Peace and Security, Reconstruction and Development
n  Since 2013, a new wave of conflicts has arisen in
parts of Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and
Eastern Europe, while territorial disputes have
surfaced elsewhere including the North and South
China Sea area. The ANC has observed this closely.
n  The ANC has been active in peace-building
missions both politically and governmentally
and continues to assist in various ways to find
resolution to conflicts in DRC, Madagascar, Somalia
and Somaliland, Sudan and South Sudan, North
Africa, Middle East and Sri Lanka.
n  The ANC has been engaging various role players
on recent changes in the continent as a result of
the uprisings in North Africa (the “Arab Springs”),
the situations that ensued in CAR, South Sudan,
Chad, Madagascar and Libya as well as analysing
the impact of the recent economic recessions
in Europe and the United States America (USA).
The ANC has to continue analyzing the unfolding
complex world reality the movement of NATO in
our continent and the world.
Zimbabwe
n  South Africa through President Jacob Zuma
continued to play a significant role as SADC
facilitator in Zimbabwe until the country had
democratic elections in 2013 that were declared
by most observers as free, fair and credible.  
ZANUPF won with an overwhelming majority in
the elections.
n  SADC, inclusive of South Africa, continue to
advocate for the full lifting of sanctions against
Zimbabwean leaders as a catalyst to promoting
social and economic development in the country.
South Sudan and Sudan
n  The Horn of Africa Focus Group ceased to

function at the beginning of 2014 but has now
been resuscitated and reorganized as the Africa
Focus Group which is a useful’ resource for the IR
Subcommittee, NWC, and NEC.
n  During the initial visits of the Special Envoy and his
team to the region IGAD had agreed that South
Africa’s role would be on a political level to assist
SPLM South Sudan.   It was further agreed that a
tripartite arrangement between ANC, SPLM (South
Sudan) and EPRDF (Ethiopia) to find political
solutions should be signed.
South Sudan:
n  Since the South African General Elections, the
matters of South Sudan conflict in the office of the
Deputy President of the Republic and together
with his team they have been engaging various role
players to find lasting solutions to the continual
conflict in South Sudan.
n  Although the ANC International Relations is not
directly involved in conflict resolution processes,
however our movement is inundated with requests
and enquiries from continental political parties,
Europe and the USA about our role in both The
Sudan and South Sudan.
n  The MOU between the ANC and SPLM South Sudan
is up for revision and both parties have agreed to
facilitate such revisions in the course of 2015.
n  During the initial visits of the Special Envoy and his
team to the region IGAD had agreed that South
Africa’s role would be on a political level to assist
SPLM South Sudan.   It was further agreed that a
tripartite arrangement between ANC, SPLM (South
Sudan) and EPRDF (Ethiopia) to find political
solutions should be signed.
n  Since the South African General Elections, the
matters of South Sudan conflict rest with the office
of the Deputy President of the Republic that has
been engaging various role players to find lasting
solutions to the continual conflict in South Sudan.
Sudan
n  The conflict situation between the Government
of Sudan and the opposition forces of Sudan (of
which SPLM North Sudan is a component) still
persist.   The AU High level Implementation Panel
(AUHIP) mandated by the AUPSC continues the
facilitation to develop peace agreement between
the Government of Sudan and opposition forces in
Sudan continues with minimal progress.
n  The ANC has met with SPLM North Sudan to
revitalize relations, reignite communication lines

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and is developing a strategy for relations and
engagement on issues in Sudan and South Sudan.
n  The ANC participated in the NCP Congress in
Sudan and the implementation of the MOU signed
will begin soon.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
n  The ANC had party-to- party meetings with
PPRD (ruling party) in DRC as part of our further
engagement stemming from a letter of intent
signed by both parties in 2013, to work on the
content of a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) on organisational building.
Swaziland
n  ANC International Relations has been engaging
various role players such PUDEMO, SWADEPO, NLF,
the Ngwane National Laboratory Party. We also
participated in seminars on Swaziland organised
by various NGOs and Solidarity movements on
Swaziland.
n  In 2014, the world witnessed the arrest of the
President of PUDEMO, Mario Masuku and other
NGO role players who were advocating for
democracy in Swaziland. The momentum on
the campaign to release Mario Masuku is on the
increase, with limited participation from the ANC.
n  The situation in Swaziland is becoming worrisome
on a daily basis. It is without any contradictions that
the regime has become a typical police state. The
ANC must ensure that the necessary diplomatic
interventions are initiated to bring democracy to
our neighbouring state.
Ethiopia and Eritrea
n  The ANC in terms of lessoning the tensions
between the two countries have done very
minimal work.  The deployment of cadres from the
Alliance on a fact-finding mission to both countries
is still outstanding.   There has been significant
improvement regarding engagement between
ANC and the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary
Democratic Front (EPRDF), but less so with PFDJ
Eritrea.
Ethiopia:
n  The ANC continues to engage the Ethiopian
People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
at different levels to share experience and
work together on common programmes. The

170

cooperation between the ANC and EPRDF around
the hosting of a conference of Progressive Parties
on the continent remains work in progress.
n  The ANC, SPLM South Sudan and EPRDF signed a
trilateral agreement to deal with the internal party
conflicts in SPLM South Sudan.
Eritrea:
n  Currently, Eritrea is not part of IGAAD whose
current Chairperson is Ethiopia and this is a
matter of concern because a regional body should
include all countries. Therefore unresolved matters
between the two countries must be resolved.
n  Notwithstanding this situation,Eritreans are present
in many countries in the region, particularly, Sudan
and South Sudan. Thus the Eritrean government is
an important role player to consult pertaining to
the current situation in South Sudan.
n  The PDFJ Eritrea has in the past requested to meet
with the ANC and reiterated this request in 2014.
The ANC is setting up a fact-finding mission to
Eritrea as mandated by the national conference.
Somalia & Somaliland
n  The ANC-led government has continued to
do extensive work in this area with a view to
finding lasting peace. The understanding of
Somalia/Somaliland within ANC Structures and
in the broader South Africa public domain is very
minimal. It is therefore imperative for the ANC to
gather information to enhance our understanding
and create awareness in our structures and the
broader South Africa public domain, in order to
empower our members.
Central African Republic (CAR)
n  The coup in CAR in 2013 resulted in deaths of
SANDF soldiers providing training to the CAR
army and police personnel and thus led to the
withdrawal of the SANDF from CAR.
n  The situation in CAR deteriorated into conflict
between religious groupings until agreements
were reached in processes South Africa played a
crucial supportive role in. CAR’s instability threatens
regional stability.
n  The SI Africa Committee that the ANC is a member
will be sending a fact-finding mission to CAR to
obverse and assess the situations, and engage
forces and leadership on the ground.

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
Libya
n  The Western sponsored NATO military campaign
in Libya in 2011 left a trail of destruction,
disillusionment and widespread instability. The
country continues to witness this four years on.
Libyan situation continues to be unstable with a
variety of political and armed actors vying for the
control of the state and the country’s resources.
n  The Libya crisis helped the spread of illegal
weapons to the rest of the Sahel Region, thus
contributing to increased destabilization of Africa
by fuelling cross-borders crimes, human and drug
trafficking, and violence affecting the ECOWAS
Region and other parts of Africa.
n  By invading Libya under the pretext of protecting
civilians, the West has thus helped the spread of
violence, conflict and terrorism in Africa.

Middle East
n  The conflict in Syria, which now involves a few
global powers, remains unresolved but there has
been new developments unfolding with the rise
of the extremist groups in Iraq putting further
pressure Syria government.
n  We have witnessed the spectre of violence spread
to other parts of the Middle East with the rise of
extremist groups in Iraq with a spill-over effect on
the region.
n  This has attracted the interest of western powers
and others deploying militarily in the region,
ostensibly to fight the rise of extremists, but in the
process helping to further complicate the situation
in the Middle East.
n  Furthermore, great understanding with regard to
the Arab World is required in lieu of The Middle
Eastern Alliance that was formed between Saudi
Arabia, Egypt and Sudan with regard to the
situation that has evolved in Yemen.  Secondly, the
changes unfolding between the Western Forces
and Iran necessitate the ANC to political research
and analyse the impact these changes would have
on the Region as well as the impact it would have
on the Palestinian situation.

Russia and Ukraine
n  The conflict in Ukraine escalated in the global
power rivalry between US-Europe seeking to
isolate and encircle Russia, on the one hand, and,
Russia seeking to preserve itself. In the process, we

have seen the conflict become entrenched with
concern.
n  The ANC is in the processing of setting up
consultations with experts and others as well as
academics regarding the situation to enable it to
remain informed on the developments.
China and Vietnam
n  China is involved in territorial disputes over islands
in the North and South China Sea areas that have
also drawn the ire of the US that has military bases
in the region. Vietnam is one of the countries
involved in the disputes and its ruling party has
conveyed its concerns about this to the ANC. We
should observe this situation closely.

PILLAR II:
Continental and International Solidarity
International solidarity will continue to inspire our
approach to world affairs.   As such, we support the
struggle for the right to self-determination of the
people of Palestine and the Western Sahara. We also
continue to pledge support to Cuba for the lifting of
the economic blockade.

Cuba
n  We will always be inspired by the role of Cuba in
the struggle for internationalism and solidarity. Its
role in the struggle for the liberation of the African
continent against imperialism and colonialism will
always be treasured.
n  Cuba continues to be an inspiration for us in pursuit
of our agenda of international solidarity. Its role in
the fight against Ebola in West Africa is exemplary.
n  We need to take forward the campaign for the end
of the fifty years old US economic blocked against
the republic of Cuba bearing in mind that 184
countries in the United Nations voted for the lifting
of the blockade.
n  Our Movement, together with other progressive
organisations across the world, has consistently
campaigned for the release of the Cuban Five.
The recent visit by the Five Cuban heroes to our
country, during the significant celebration of the
60th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter, was a
demonstration of friendly relations between our
two countries.

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n  We commend this positive step taken by both the
governments of Cuba and the United States to
improve relations. The ANC wishes both Cuba and
the United States well in further moves to improve
their diplomatic relations between these two
countries.
n  The ANC re-affirms our ongoing solidarity with
Cuba and the Cuban people and will continue
to offer support for an end to the US economic
blockade. The struggle of the people of Cuba is the
struggle of the people of the world.

Palestine
n  The ANC continues to pledge solidarity with the
people of Palestine, advocating for a two-state
solution as a resolution to the continued ongoing
conflict situation between Palestine and Israel.
n  The ANC has participated and will continue
to participate in activities of the week-long
programme on Israeli Apartheid Week in solidarity
with the Palestinians.
n  Following the invasion of Gaza and the
bombardment and the killings of innocent
Palestinians by the Israeli military, the ANC issued a
statement of condemnation and joined solidarity
marches and programmes for a free Palestine. The
ANC commends all provinces, the Leagues and the
Alliance, for their participation on the campaign.

Western Sahara
n  ANC and ANC-led government in different
platforms (solidarity meetings domestically,
seminars on Western Sahara both domestically
and internationally, Socialist International Africa
Committee and Council meetings, United Nations,
and so forth) continues to sponsor and support
resolutions promoting the self-determination of
the Saharawi people.
n  The ANC engaged with representatives from
the POLISARIO Front on the sides of Socialist
International (SI) meetings and put forward a
proposal for SI Africa Committee to send a factfinding mission to Morocco and Western Sahara, as
well as the refugee camps in Algeria.
n  The domestic solidarity campaign has dropped to
almost non-existence and therefore the ANC and
the Alliance partners have to find a mechanism to
reignite the solidarity campaign with the people of
Saharawi.

172

n  For almost two years, the ANC has not participated
in Solidarity activities in Spain and Algiers, but
we have tried to rectify this by ensuring our
participation in the Solidarity Conference held in
Algiers in December 2014.
n  The ANC has also committed itself to host the
next African Solidarity meeting for the people of
Western Sahara in 2016 at the latter mentioned
conference.

PILLAR III:
Party-to-Party, Intra and Multilateral Relations
n  The ANC receive frequent requests from
other political parties and organisations, both
continentally and internationally, to establish
relations and share experience.
n  The ANC continues to participate in party-to-party
and intra-party relations and has decided to take
more politically informed approach to forging
relations, but guided by our principles as outlined
in national conference resolutions.
n  Many of the party-to-party relations arise as a
result of the ANC’s participation in Peace building,
reconstruction and development and Continental
and International Solidarity.
n  The ANC continues to participate in the Conferences
and Congresses of our Fraternal parties such that
of the Norwegian Labour Party, Swedish Social
Democratic Party,    Botswana Democratic Party,
Botswana National Front, EPRDF, Cuba Communist
Party, MPLA, FRELIMO, SWAPO, CCM, and ZANU-PF.
n  The ANC participates in seminars arranged by
FES and the Olof Palme Foundation annually. The
ANC further participated in a seminar hosted by
FRELIMO and FES in Maputo, which was followed
up with a party-to-party visit to the new Secretary
General of the FRELIMO to share experience on
elections.
n  The ANC met with the United Russian Party to
elevate the relations and conclude a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) which was signed
between the two parties.   The ANC has already
embarked on some party-to-party exchange
programmes in Russia.
n  The ANC is in the process of reviewing its MOU with
the Communist Party of China.  The first delegation

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
of NEC members has embarked on a two-week
Study Tour to China in early this year. There are
other exchanges envisioned for 2015.
n  The ANC has met a number of parties that have
requested forging relations with the ANC.   The
ANC has also received request from parties it has
relations with for strengthening these relations.
Amongst these are CNDD-FDD Burundi, PNRF Libre
Honduras, SDP Denmark, PAIGV Cape Verde, PAIGC
Guinea Bissau, PDS Benin, PDS Niger, MLSTP Sao
Tome and Principe and NDP Ghana, PPRD DRC, PCT
Congo Brazzaville, LCD Lesotho, SPLM North Sudan,
NCP Sudan, Workers Party of Korea, Netherlands
Labour Party, FRELIMO, SWAPO, BDP Botswana,
and Communist Party of Vietnam.  Relations with
progressive parties in West Africa and Latin America
remain weak and the subcommittee is currently
developing a strategy to establish relations with
progressive forces in these areas.
n  With regard to party-to-party relations with parties
from the developed North, the ANC has to really to
be more pro-active, and this will require financial
resources.
n  Apart from strengthening relations and reaching
out to new friends, there are some serious questions
we need to consider. Admittedly, the ANC is not
and has never been a communist organisation.  
However, the ANC has always been anti-imperialist
in nature and pro-working class.   The need to
define “progressive policies” is therefore imperative
and urgent so that we know when we choose
friends what criteria to look for.   It does not help
us that we are forced to embrace parties simply
because we are affiliated to the same international
organization.

Former Liberation Movements
n  The ANC continues to participate in the Former
Liberation Movement meetings to strengthen
and consolidate relations.  The Secretaries-General
meet twice a year and the Leaders meet once a
year.  The meetings take place on a rotational basis.
n  The Leaders of the Southern African Former
Liberation Movements (FLMs)    met in February
2013 at Freedom Park in Tshwane.  Their meeting
was preceded by meetings of the SecretariesGeneral and the Wings/Leagues (Veterans,
Women’s League and Youth League) of FLMs. The
outcomes of the Leaders meeting were as follows:
o  In strengthening and consolidating relations
the Leaders of FLMs adopted further strategies

for the implementation of the project on the
historical heritage of FLMs.
o  Agreed on working together in realizing the
objective of building the FLMs political school
in Tanzania, as it is an important initiative
in retaining the legacy and heritage of our
liberation.  Significant progress on the building
of the political school has been made in that
funding has been obtained and land for the
construction of the school has been allocated
in Tanzania.
o  The Leagues/Wings in their meetings resolved
on a number of issues that informs their
common programme.
o  A meeting took place in Tanzania where the
Secretaries General went to view the land
donated by the Tanzanian government for the
establishment of the joint political school. The
meeting also agreed on the establishment of
the technical committee, which will be chaired
by the former Secretary General of CCM to
work out the design, curriculum and building
time frames for the school.
n  The next meeting of Secretaries’ General and
Head of Organisations was scheduled in Maputo
for 2014, to be hosted by FRELIMO, but due to the
Mozambican and Namibian elections as well as
the ZANUPF conference it has been postponed to
2015.
n  An urgent meeting of Secretaries’ General was
convened by CCM and hosted by the ANC in
Johannesburg to process developments regarding
the joint political school in 2014.

Building a Global Progressive Movement: Socialist
International (SI) and the Emergence of the new
“Progressive Alliance” (PA)
n  Since the hosting of the XXIV Socialist International
(SI) Congress the SI has undergone substantial
reforms in its composition and representation.  
However, post-congress, a new entity, “The
Progressive Alliance” has emerged led by European
members of the SI.  The move increasingly seems
like an attempt to create a new organisation to
replace the SI.
n  In engaging the key proponents of the
establishment of the PA on what defined it, we have
been informed that it was a networking structure
advocating for the transformation of SI.

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n  The programmes and activities often reflect
differently as being in direct opposition with SI.  
The PA has already established its headquarters
in Leipzig. Thus far the PA has held meetings in
Italy, Portugal, Norway, The Netherlands, United
Kingdom and Germany as well as a meeting of the
Africa Group coordinated by SDP Cameroon.
n  The ANC has agreed to meet with the key European
Parties leading the PA as an attempt to convince
them to do things differently and rather invest in
ensuring that the full transformation of SI.
n  Secondly, these European parties have reduced
their membership to observer status that implies
a significant decrease in their membership fees
contribution and this has put severe resource
constraints on SI.
n  Our position as the ANC may put us in a precarious
position as it may lead to our isolation – the
Europeans are aggressively courting members on
the Continent.

Socialist International (SI)
n  The ANC remains committed to the Socialist
International despite the challenges faced
by the organisation.   The ANC has deployed
representatives to the SI Presidium, SI Ethics
Committee and SI Africa Committee namely:
Comrade President Jacob Zuma as a Vice-President,
Comrade Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe
and Comrade NEC Member, Ebrahim Ebrahim as
Deputy Chair, respectively. The deployees have
been actively participating in the various meetings
of the SI.
n  The last ANC representatives that attended the
SI Council meeting in Mexico resolved that the
format of SI meetings has to change if it is to be
impactful and the ANC is in the process of working
on a proposal in this regard.
n  There was significant progress in the SI Africa
Committee and a call for reforms of the
organization’s operations.  The SI Africa Committee
has appointed a Working Group to look into the
proposed reforms made at the meeting in Tanzania
in 2014 and there is already work in progress.

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PILLAR IV:
Transformation and Global Governance
n  The ANC, through party-to-party meetings
continentally and internationally, as well as
its engagements in regional forums (Former
Liberation Movements, SI Africa Committee, the
African Left Network) and other international
forums, advocates for UN Reforms, with special
emphasis on reforms of the UN Security Council.

IMF and World Bank
n  The ANC continues to advocate for reforms of
these institutions as part of our policy positions.  
However, in the same breath, the ANC supports
alternatives to these institutions such as BRICS
Bank and Alba-TCP, amongst others.

The International Criminal Court
n  The 53rd Conference resolved that as much “as the
ANC does not condone impunity, authoritarian and
violent regimes, it is concerned about the perception
of selective prosecution of Africans and urges the ICC
to also pursue cases of impunity elsewhere, while
engaging in serious dialogue with the AU and African
countries in order to review their relationship”; and
called “on the United Nations Security Council
(UNSC), which has referred some African cases to the
ICC, to recognise the work done by the AU, its RECs and
individual African countries to promote the peaceful
end to and settlement of conflicts on the continent,
the peace agreements signed and commitments
made in regard to post-conflict justice.”
n  This has not happened. Instead the ICC has
continued to attack African countries. In addition
to this, the ICC arrogantly insists on African
countries to execute ICC warrants of arrests which
are not recognised by the African Union. South
Africa was not spared by this arrogance when
President Al-Bashir visited our country for the June
2015 Summit of the African Union to the point
that the ANC decided on reviewing South Africa’s
membership of this organisation.
n  In taking this decision, we reaffirmed our
unwavering commitment to the protection and
promotion of human rights on the continent of
Africa and beyond. We further noted that South
Africa, correctly, had been a vocal proponent of the
establishment of the International Criminal Court.

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
n  We believed, as we still do, that an independent
and objective instrument was needed to bring to
an end the heinous crimes against humanity and
the violation of human rights which were then
very prevalent on the Continent.
n  We believed, as we still do, that those who
committed such crimes must be prosecuted and
punished by an impartial body empowered by
international cooperation to defend the universal
values of justice. The matter relating to the
President al-Bashir therefore is of major concern
to the African National Congress and we view the
allegations levelled against him in a serious light.
n  It is our view however that the ICC has gradually
diverted from its mandate and allowed itself to
be influence by powerful non-member states. We
perceive it as tending to act as a proxy instrument
for these states, which see no need to subject them
to its discipline, to persecute African leaders and
effect regime change on the continent. It is being
used as a court against Africa, deliberately oblivious
to the fact that Africa countries themselves were
vocal in their support for the necessity of such a
mechanism, with for example, Senegal being the
first country to ratify the Rome Statute.
n  South Africa was always a staunch supporter of the
establishment of the International Criminal Court
and one of the first signatories of the Rome Statute
of the International Criminal Court. It remains
committed to a system of international justice “to
ensure that the most serious crimes of concern to
the international community as a whole must not
go unpunished and that their effective prosecution
must be ensured by taking measures at the national
level and by enhancing international cooperation.”
n  South Africa will continue to promote and
encourage regional and international initiatives
to deal with such crimes. We are a member of the
Assembly of States Parties established by Article
112(1) of the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court. We are also a member of the United
Nations, the African Union and other international
bodies. We take our international responsibilities
and obligations very seriously.
n  South Africa is involved in peace keeping missions
in many African countries such as the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. South Africa is also actively
involved in ensuring that the fragile peace process
underway in Sudan and South Sudan holds, in the
interests of the people of those sovereign states
and other sovereign countries and the African
continent.

n  South Africa has invested a great deal of her
financial, military, technical and human resources
towards achieving peace, security and prosperity
on the African continent. The benefits of these
investments are slowly being realised in the
countries in which South Africa is active. These
countries include Sudan and South Sudan.
n  Despite being a member of the Assembly of State
Parties to the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court, South Africa has to balance its
obligations to the ICC with its obligations to the
African Union and its obligations to individual
states, including those in Africa, in terms of the
international treaties which it has concluded.
n  South Africa notes that even Permanent Members
of the Security Council which are not signatories
to the Rome Statute on the International Criminal
Court may participate fully in discussions on
the ICC and referrals by the Security Council of a
situation in a country to the ICC.  Those countries
have taken steps to ensure that their officials and
military personnel will not be subjected to the
jurisdiction of the ICC.
n  There is no national interest value for South Africa
to continue being a member if the ICC. The manner
that we were treated around the al-Bashir incident
is consistent with the cheeky arrogance that Africa
has experienced in its interaction with the ICC.
Continuing to be in the ICC especially when the big
powers who are calling the shots are themselves
nit members, gives it the legitimacy it does not
deserve. The West dominates the ICC through the
influence they command within its structures and
the huge financial contributions they make to its
budget. In return, they use the ICC as their tool for
regime change in Africa.
n  Africa must build its own alternative to the ICC
so that international crimes like genocide, war
crimes and crimes against humanity, continue to
occupy the attention of our continent. We must
operationalise the African Court of Justice and
Human Rights that will have a mandate to handle
international crimes on our continent.

PILLAR V:
Policy Development
n  The ANC continues to lead and guide government in
policy development and implementation through
national conference resolutions, among others.
The details of these policy issues are discussed in
detail under the Governance Component below.  

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The Draft White Paper will soon be tabled for
discussion by ANC structures including the SubCommittee.

n   The revision should concentrate on the ideas
rather than paragraphs; and before finalisation,
there should be broad consultations.

Parliamentary Diplomacy
n  The ANC continues to guide assisting
parliamentarians deployed to international forums.

Xenophobia
n   The ANC and the ANC-led government continue to
create opportunities for awareness programmes
amongst South Africans regarding the international
migration of people continentally and globally
in order to create the necessary understanding
and tolerance amongst South Africans towards
particularly asylum seekers and refugees.   These
awareness programmes should be utilized to
prevent any future xenophobic attack.

Business Code of Conduct
n  We have not done enough work in this area;
however the matter will be referred to the
Economic Transformation Committee to integrate
it into their work.

Economic Diplomacy
n  The ANC should intensify its activism in this area.  
This must also include aspects of skills development
in order to deal with the triple challenges of
poverty, inequality and unemployment in South
Africa.

National Development Plan and Vision 2030
The ANC has identified the following areas of
International Relations that need to be realigned
with the ANC’s International Relations policies as we
promote a more radical approach to Internationalism
on the continent and in the globe:

PILLAR VI:
Campaigns
AFRICOM
n   The campaign to engage all member state on the
continent not to host these military bases continue;
however, the question that should be posed is
whether this is still preventable because in certain
places on the continent AFRICOM has already
established its footprint in the form of training
soldiers and other newly devised mechanisms?  The
ANC has to deal with these realities and develop
new strategies to take this campaign forward.

o  Page 28 Paragraph 1 under demographics;
o  Page 31 Paragraph 2 under a changing Global
Economy;
o  Page 32 Paragraph 3 under Africa’s development
with greater focus on infrastructure development
and industrialisation on the continent to facilitate
the promotion of inter-continental movement and
trade
o  Page 33 Paragraph 1& 3 under Climate Change

Africa Day
n   The ANC observes that there is growing awareness
about the importance of this day and that the AU
anthem and flags are beginning to appear in SA
institutions.
n   ANC structures need to become more proactive in
promoting this day, i.e. 25 May, every year, given its
significance.

o  Page 237 Paragraph 4 under Integrate national
institutions responsible
o  Page 241 Paragraph 1 under Clarity on national
interest
o  Page242 Paragraph
regionalisation...

2

under

Move

from

o  Page 244 Paragraph 1 under SADC & SACU
o  Page 253 Paragraph 2 & 7 under South Africa in the
word

176

Mandela Day
n   As we celebrate nature and content of former
President Nelson Mandela, the ANC should
continue to educate society principles and norms
and values that Tata Madiba represented. ANC
structures and ANC-led government continue
to play an increasing role on Mandela Day. The
day is celebrated across all 9 provinces in the 54

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
regions. We have also witnessed an increase in the
celebration of this day in the international and
continental arena.

Capacity building and Coordination as an
extension of the POA
n  Capacity and work of the International Relations
Department:
o   The ANC should continue to transform the
International Relations Unit into a full-fledged
department as per the decision of the 53rd
National Conference.   There has been some
progress in the Unit as some vacant positions
have been filled. However, there is a need to
establish an International Relations Institute to
allow International Relations to have a stable
funding stream to run our programme, develop
policy, conducting research and broaden the
scope and foot print of ANC IR work especially
in the continent and the Global South.
o   Key capacity building tasks for the Department
of International Relations and Cooperation are
discussed under the Governance Component.
n   Alliance Programme on International Relations
COSATU and the SACP participate as full members in
the ANC NEC Subcommittee on International Relations
where they are able to share their programmes and raise
areas requiring the ANC and ANC-led government’s
intervention. Certain programmes between the ANC
and its Alliance partners are coordinated together,
especially those on international solidarity matters.
n   ANC Participation in International Organisations
The policies for ANC participation in international
organisations is currently being drafted would soon
be processed for consideration by the NWC and NEC.
n   Capacity and resources in the ANC, Government
and South African Civil Society
o  Inadequate and insufficient human and financial
resources to implement ANC International
Relations part of the organisational part of the
POA remains order of the day.
o  The ANC NEC International Relations (IR)
Subcommittee is in the process of relooking at
the Unit’s organogram with the view to making
a proposal for improvement.   However, we
must adhere to the resolution from conference

to change the IR Unit into a fully-fledged
department.
o  The speedy building of International Relations
structures in Provinces would further
assist in enhancing ANC IR capacity.   When
Provinces have a better understanding of ANC
International matters in all their structures, the
IR Unit would have gone a long way towards
integrating IR work in ANC structures at all
levels, to the branch.
o  Training of cadres in areas of language and
understanding of International Relations issues
is also imperative if the broader objective of the
ANC is to be attained.  COSATU has developed
International Relations Practitioners Course
with a course manual to train its representatives
and affiliates deployed to this area. The ANC
had participated in the first training course and
should engage COSATU to allow more cadres
to participate.
o  A broader organisation to have an annual
political school on International Relations
should be established.
o  Better Coordination between all structures of
the ANC and the Alliance Partners, the Leagues
and MDM structures would bring the ANC
closer to attaining the goal of pro-activity in
the global arena. Inclusive in this is also creating
better coordination between the ANC and the
ANC Parliamentary Caucus.
o  The partnering with “ANC-friendly” civil society
groupings in certain projects in terms of the
implementation of the POA would further
improve the implementation of the ANC’s
International Relations programme.

GOVERNANCE COMPONENT
The government’s foreign policy implementation
overview must be seen as a reflection of our overall
foreign policy journey, with a sharp focus on both
what we have done in the past 20 years, as well as
what still needs to be done in the next five years of the
current administration. South Africa’s foreign policy
finds expression from mutually reinforcing principles
through the following pillars:
n  Strengthening and prioritizing the African
continent as a centrepiece of our foreign policy;
n  Strengthening regional cooperation through a
strong SADC;

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 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
n  Creating a strong South-South Cooperation with
emerging countries of the south;
n  Enhance partnership with countries of the
North in order to accelerate our socio-economic
development; and
n  Participation in institutions of global governance
to strengthen multilateralism, including the
transformation of the global system and its
institutions.
In the implementation of our foreign policy, these
pillars remain critical in guiding our foreign policy
actions for the benefit of our domestic priorities.  
Our domestic priorities are premised on the need to
support South Africa’s National Development Plan
(NDP). But how do we make use of our foreign policy
engagements to support the NDP’s vision 2030 –
that of creating a prosperous state where poverty,
unemployment and inequality are a thing of the past?  
We do this by focusing on the following:
n  Defending and advancing our national Interest;
n  Enhancing our foreign policy development and
implementation;
n  Cadreship development;
n  Agenda 2063;
n  Strengthening the South;
n  South Africa’s leadership in international
organisations for the African Agenda and the
transformation of global institutions; and
n  International Solidarity.
National Interest
n  Over the past few years, we have been trying to
assert our national interest. National interests are
by definition selfish.  They are about how we must
survive and prosper as a nation.   Some are “core”
like sovereignty and territorial integrity; and other
are “secondary”.We have to constantly fine-tune the
balance among our national interests, Pan-African
obligations, and international commitments
around a shared / collective vision of a better world.
n  Our missions abroad have come to understand the
great importance our country attaches to national
interest – which our national interests come first.
In the past 20 years, since 1994, our government
has ensured that Ambassadors understand fully
their various roles, and what they need to do in

178

foreign land in order to advance our country’s
national interests. We are convinced that today our
Ambassadors understand our domestic priorities.
This we also amplify through our annual heads
of mission conference. This conference seeks to
redefine our foreign mandate, and remind our
Ambassadors of their role as representatives of
the President. This becomes a great opportunity to
reflect and take stock of diplomatic engagements
with our partners, in the advancement of our
national interest.
n  We must continue to sharpen our concept of
national interest as recommended in the NDP.
n  Another important element in the enhancement
of our national interest abroad is the creation
of a strong economic diplomacy strategy. Some
amongst the important elements underpinning
economic diplomacy are as follows:
o  Market and brand South Africa globally;
o  Investment promotion;
o  Skills and technology transfer;
o  Promotion of joint ventures between South
African and foreign companies; and
o  Tourism promotion.
n  We believe in the importance of building national
consensus on the core elements of our foreign
policy.   This consensus must be shared among
all sections of our people and across political
parties on non-partisan basis.   In this regard, our
government has made use of Public Diplomacy
as a tool to enhance participatory democracy,
communicating important messages to the public
about matters of national interest. Our Public
Participation Programmes (PPP) has proven to
be effective in reaching out to the masses of our
people, sharing what we do. Through our PPPs,
we have since strengthened our relations with
various key stakeholders such as NGOs, civil society
organization, interest groups and the ordinary men
and women of this country.

Enhancing our foreign policy development and
implementation
In the conduct of our country’s foreign policy, South
Africa constantly reviews its foreign policy and strategy
in order to ensure alignment with the current global
challenges. Our country recognizes that, in order to
respond adequately to such ever changing global
challenges, there is a need for a constant review of our

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
approaches.   In this regard, the following actions are
being undertaken:
n  The White Paper on South African foreign policy Building a better world: The diplomacy of Ubuntu
is to be discussed within the ANC and will be
served before parliament as well.  The White Paper
is intended to strengthen our foreign policy using
the African philosophy of Ubuntu.

Cadreship development
A strong foreign policy relies on a strong cadreship.After
1994, we deployed cadres at the former Department of
Foreign Affairs, with others sent abroad to represent
our country. Some of these cadres will be retiring soon
and others are already retired.  We therefore have to
renew our diplomatic cadreship on continuous basis.  
The following are our actions in this regard:

n  The SA Council on International Relations (SACOIR)
is being established to serve as a sounding board
on our foreign policy and non-state input into
what we do. This body, whose role will be advisory,
is comprised of civil society representatives,
business, academics and labour; and will meet
regularly to help government in the development
and implementation of our foreign policy.

n  The Diplomatic Training, Research and
Development (DTRD), that is responsible for
training our diplomats, is being turned into a fullyfledged diplomatic academy.

n  We are processing a Foreign Service Bill to address
the peculiarities of the Foreign Service in our
country. This is part of repositioning of our Foreign
Service for its alignment with the future we
envisage for our foreign policy through capacity
development and constant renewal of personnel.  
The Foreign Service Bill will create a single foreign
service for the country in order to end the current
fragmented Foreign Service system, leading
to improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness and
enhanced service delivery.
n  The National Development Plan enjoins us to
strengthen our policy research capacity.  This will
be done, building on our existing policy research
unit at DIRCO.
n  We are establishing a Centre for Early Warning
(CFEW) which will ensure proactive action and
advisory, as we all as rapid response to conflict or
disaster. This initiative is in keeping with the call
by the African Union for the operationalisation
of an African Capacity for Immediate Response
to Crises (ACIRC) in order to redouble its efforts
to detect potential conflict situations before they
erupt. Given that the African Continent is our key
foreign policy priority the Centre for Early Warning
will give a sharp focus on Africa, ensuring that we
receive information and advice well in advance
about crises situations on the continent, and
initiate interventions in order to prevent or limit
the effects of these conflicts.
n  The establishment of the South African
Development Partnership Agency (SADPA) is in
progress. The creation of SADPA will ensure more
efficiency in the deployment and disbursement
of South Africa’s development and humanitarian
assistance.

n  Our existing internship and cadet programme
has been consolidated into a Johnny Mkhathini
Ubuntu Diplomatic Corps to improve its outcomes
and impact.
n  Training and internship must be based on a
progressive curriculum and training programme
that is rooted in ANC politics and revolutionary
teaching.

African Union (AU) Agenda 2063
n  Africa has undoubtedly transformed from where it
was in 1963 when we formed the Organisation of
African Unity (OAU) to lay the foundations for the
African Union we are proud members of today.
n  South Africa’s foreign policy is driven by the vision
to achieve an African continent that is prosperous,
peaceful, democratic, united and assertive in
defence of its interests in world affairs.  This is in
line with Agenda 2063.
n  Agenda 2063 will impact SADC, especially the
pace and direction of the integration of our region.  
Our approach to the SADC region must therefore
aim at consolidating bilateral relations with
our neighbours, and strengthening SADC as an
institution.  In particular, we must:
o  Strengthen regional integration in our
SADC neighbourhood by discharging
our responsibilities towards the full
implementation of our Free Trade Area and
concluding the current review of the SADC
Regional Indicative Strategic Development
Plan.  The SADC-EAC-COMESA tripartite trade
negotiations must reach finality as they are an
important step towards the realization of the
African Free Trade Area by 2017.
o  Peace and political stability in our region will
remain a priority.  We are encouraged by the

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 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
proactive and stabilizing effect that resulted
from the deployment of the SADC Intervention
Brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo
where the negative forces there are either on
retreat or have been defeated.  In this regard, we
have operationalised the Tripartite Agreement
between South Africa, Angola and the DRC in
support of the Peace and Security Framework
Agreement for the Great Lakes Region.
o  We will galvanize political support for major
infrastructure projects in our region, notably
the Lesotho Highlands Water project Phase
II, and the Grand INGA in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
n   For the rest of Africa, in the context of Agenda
2063, we must:
o  Continue to strengthen bilateral relations with
African countries  through structured bilateral
engagements to advance South Africa’s
interests throughout the continent;
o  Intensify our work in supporting the African
Union, including the AU institutions we host;
namely, the NEPAD Secretariat, Pan-African
Parliament and the African Peer Review
Mechanism headquarters.
o  Strengthen Economic Diplomacy to increase
trade and investment opportunities for South
Africa;
o  Give dedicated attention to the North-South
Corridor, and other NEPAD-driven Infrastructure
Projects on the Continent   championed by
South Africa;
o  Ensure speedy provision of Humanitarian
assistance where needed to alleviate human
suffering on the continent;
o  Implement the African Diaspora programme
adopted at the AU Summit we hosted in 2012;
o  Continue peace-building and conflict
prevention efforts in conflict situations in
support of multilateral institutions; and
o  Re-invigorate
our
Post-Conflict
and
Reconstruction and Development strategy in
African countries emerging from conflict.
n   The African Union Peace and Security Council
celebrated its tenth anniversary, and we look back
with pride at what it has achieved. South Africa has
assumed its two-year membership of this organ
which will be used to focus on the restoration of
constitutional order in the Central African Republic,
and stability in the DRC, Libya, Somalia and South
Sudan.

180

n   The operationalisation of the African Peace and
Security Architecture remains a critical element
in providing the African Union with the necessary
capacity to respond to our challenges of peace
and security. The establishment of the African
Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises
(ACIRC), championed by South Africa, is an interim
mechanism to enable the African Union to respond
to emerging security situations while the African
Stand-By Force is being operationalised.
n   Overall, peace and security challenges in Africa fall
into the following categories:
o  Political instability like in Lesotho;
o  Full scale civil war like in South Sudan;
o  Rebels and other negative forces like in the
DRC;
o  Unconstitutional change of government;
o  Secessionist movements like in Mali; and
o  The scourge of religiously motivated acts of
terrorism.
n   Our role as South Africa is in preventive diplomacy
to prevent a potential conflict from developing
into a conflict; mediation like we are doing now
in Lesotho; peace keeping; peace enforcement
like we are doing in the DRC as part of FIB/
MONUSCO.  South Africa is fully seized and part of
the continental campaign to silence the guns once
and for all.

Strengthening the South
n   It is generally accepted that the international
balance of forces are gradually shifting in the
direction of the countries of the South.  South-South
Cooperation is important in South Africa’s foreign
policy architecture.  Our approach to South-South
Cooperation is anchored on South-South forums
like the BRICS, IBSA and FOCAC and multilateral
bodies such as the NAM and the G77 plus China, as
well as the network of bilateral relations we have
established with countries of Asia and Middle East,
and Latin America and the Caribbean.   The key
elements of this cooperation are the promotion of
political and diplomatic relations, enhancing trade,
investment and other economic relations, and
collaboration on global issues for a better world.
n   The 6th BRICS Summit hosted by Brazil reaffirmed
our core vision to bring about a more democratic,
multipolar world order.  South Africa, as the previous
Chair, successfully brought to fruition all the key

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
outcomes adopted at the 5th BRICS Summit.   As
such, in Brazil, the Agreement establishing the New
Development Bank and the Treaty for the creation
of the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement
were signed.
n   SA leadership in international organizations for the
African Agenda and the transformation of global
institutions
n   How SA exercises leadership in international
organizations must have four elements to it,
namely:
o  The election of South Africa to strategic
structures and strategic positions in
international organisations;
o  Deployment of South Africans in strategic
positions;
o  South Africa championing and leading in
a strategic issue of global significance in
international organisations; and
o  South Africa hosting strategic international
meetings, including playing a leadership role
in ensuring that such meetings produce a
progressive outcome.
n   Reform of the structures of global governance,
including the United Nations Security Council,
must remain a key focus, including on how to
ensure that the African Common Position, known
as the Ezulwini Consensus, advances the reform
of the UN.  South Africa’s multilateral activities are
inextricably linked to South Africa’s own domestic
priorities and those of the African continent. In this
regard, the following are the key priorities:
o  Two critical negotiations will reach their
conclusion in 2015; and these are the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) on the basis of the Durban
Plan for Enhanced Action agreed at COP17/
CMP7; and the Post-2015 Development
Agenda.   We will continue to call for the
acceleration of efforts and resources to
ensure the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) up to 2015 and
beyond.
o  On sustainable development, a key process
emanating from Rio+20 was to recommend
to the United Nations General Assembly a set
of possible Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). The process to develop these goals
has concluded with South Africa’s robust
participation.
o  On the Post-2015 Development Agenda,

which emanates from the MDGs, South Africa
is active in the intergovernmental processes
taking place within the United Nations where
all nations participate on an equal basis to craft
the successor goals to the MDGs, and informed
by Rio Principles, in particular the principle of
Common but Differentiated Responsibilities.  
We are informed by the African common
position whose essence is that the global
post-2015 Development Agenda must give
adequate attention to: “the development of
productive capacity underpinned by value
addition, technology and innovation, and
infrastructure development; people-cantered
development with a particular emphasis on youth
empowerment and gender equality; natural
resources and disaster risk management in the
context of sustainable development; peace and
security; and a truly inclusive and transformative
global partnership.”
o  Continue to fight for the Durban Legacy
that came out of the 2001 World Conference
against Racism that we hosted in Durban.  The
implementation of the Durban Declaration and
Programme of Action is far from satisfactory.
o  In the G20, South Africa – also a Co-chair of the
G20 Development Working Group (DWG) –
continues to address development bottlenecks
and help developing countries achieve growth.
o  South Africa will continue to insist that as much
as work is being done on non-proliferation, the
issue of disarmament also requires progress
and movement in the context of the alienable
right of states to the peaceful uses of the atom.

International Solidarity
n   International solidarity will continue to inspire our
approach to world affairs.  As such, we support the
struggle for the right to self-determination of the
people of Palestine and the Western Sahara. The
economic embargo on Cuba has to be lifted.
n   Cuba is an established strategic partner of South
Africa in Latin America and the Caribbean and
both countries continue, in a programmatic
and systematic manner, to work towards the
attainment of their respective foreign policy
objectives.  The year 2014, marks 20 years of fruitful
relations with Cuba.  Ties of culture, history, shared
struggles and common aspirations, join Cuba to
South Africa and the Continent of Africa. There
are over 30 (thirty) signed bilateral agreements
in place between the two countries covering vast

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 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
areas of cooperation for example arts and culture,
defence, education, science and technology,
health services, housing as well Home Affairs.
The Joint Consultative Mechanism (JCM) and the
Joint Bilateral Commission (JBC) are the two main
instruments utilised by the two countries in the
conduct of bilateral and political relations.
n   South Africa reaffirms its solidarity with the
people of Western Sahara in search of their right
to decolonisation and self-determination, through
a UN supervised referendum with the option of
independence.
n   Our history and support for the Palestinian
struggle for freedom is one that is also linked in our
historical and shared struggles. Our own history of
Apartheid therefore demands that as South Africa
we are required and morally obliged to support
the Palestinian fight for freedom, equality and the
right to self-determination. As part of South Africa’s
contribution to international diplomatic efforts
towards the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict, President Zuma appointed Comrades
Zola Skweyiya and former Mr Aziz Pahad as
Special Envoys to the Middle East to convey his
grave concern over the then escalating violence,
the civilian displacement and the deterioration
of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.  
The Special Envoys have travelled to the region
including Palestine,   Israel, Egypt,   Qatar, United
Arab Emirates, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia
to convey the President’s message of concern.
President Mahoumed Abbas paid a historic State
Visit to South Africa. South Africa has pledged
US$1million towards humanitarian assistance in
Gaza.

182

n   South Africa supports the International Year of
Solidarity with Palestine (2014) as declared by the
UN.  South Africa’s commitment to the question of
Palestine, together with this UN declaration, formed
part of South Africa’s consideration for hosting
the Palestinian Heads of Mission Conference in
Cape Town, as well as the Palestinian Solidarity
Conference held on 2 May 2014.

6.  CONCLUSION
n   A discussion of South Africa’s international
relations is incomplete without a reflection on
the leadership role that is expected of us on the
continent and globally.   However, our sense and
approach to such leadership must not be that of
a bully or hegemony, but a member of a collective.
We must lead in the following ways:
o  By asserting the independence of our foreign
policy; taking positions that are principled and
correct.
o  Speak out on African issues to defend our
continent and collective interests.
o  Champion progressive issues.
o  Stand up for justice in the world.
o  Our leadership must be political, not
mechanical, driven by collective and shared
interest, not by selfish interests.

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QUESTIONS

SELECTED QUESTIONS THAT THE ANC CADRE SHOULD CONSIDER
FOR DISCUSSION IN PREPARATION FOR THE 2015 NGC
1.  Our foreign policy and practice must reflect our understanding of national interests, balanced with
our pan-African and south solidarity and broader international cooperation. What precisely does
“national interests” mean in the pursuit of our international agenda?
2.  The African Union has adopted the Agenda 2063 framework document – “The Africa We Want”. What
mechanisms can we use to domesticate Agenda 2063 for all South Africans; and how do we popularise
it so that South Africans take ownership of Agenda 2063?
3.  South Africa is one of the founding countries of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD),
which the ANC played a critical role in formulating and championing, to the extent to which the NEPAD
Agency is located in Midrand. Is it important for the ANC once again to lend its voice to the promotion
of Africa’s development programme, and if so how? Given that South Africa’s intra-African trade is
universally low in comparison to, to other regions of the world, what can be done to both strengthen
and deepen intra-African trade in the coming years so as to ensure that regional integration becomes
a reality?
4.  We are in a period of moving from the (largely unachieved) MDGs to the Post-2015 development
agenda and sustainable development goals (SDGs), of which there are currently an unwieldy 17
potential goals listed and being negotiated. What is important for Africa when we discuss sustainable
development? How can we ensure that the Africa Common Position on the post-2015 development
agenda has pride of place in the SDGs?
5.  What is the significance of the BRICS to the international balance of forces? How important is the
decision of the establishment of the New BRICS Development Bank and the establishment of the first
regional office in South Africa?
6.  The reform of the UN system and the global governance architecture more broadly is a matter of global
fairness and justice. Is it time to think more broadly about South Africa’s formal positions (for example
the Ezulwini Consensus, amongst others), in order to ensure that the reform process comes to fruition?
7.  In 2008 and most recently, we saw an explosion of “xenophobic” violence (attack on foreign nationals),
in South Africa. What could be the causes and the how can the ANC address and respond to these
challenges on the matter?
8.  The rise of terror groups on the African continent and the Middle East present a dual challenge of local
grievances combined with international strategies and allegiances. How do we understand the root
causes of these terror groups with a view to combat these threats in the long term?

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ANNEXURE 1

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
ON OUR FOREIGN POLICY DEVELOPMENT
1.  The period between the fifteen and nineteenth
centuries saw the rise of the phenomenon
of imperialism and colonialism throughout
the whole world. An epoch characterized by
heightened forms of struggle by our people in
the former colonies and semi colonies against
colonial territorial conquest and dispossession.
2.  Throughout this epoch the role of the conquered
territories within the imperialist and colonial
system has been to supply raw materials to the
industries of the industrial metropolis and to
provide a market for the manufactured goods
from the metropolitan industries.
3.  Therefore the scramble for territorial conquest
and dispossession of our people in the former
colonies and semi colonies has been part of
the worldwide phenomenon of imperialism
and colonial expansion. In the African continent
and our own country, the wave of territorial
conquest and dispossession gave impetus to
the subjugation of many African Kingdoms and
Chiefdoms
4.  The 1884 Berlin conference was a historic
event of a far-reaching political significance,
which altered the course of the development
of human race. It provided a platform for the
world superpowers to partition many parts
of the underdeveloped world, including our
own continent, for the purposes of serving the
political and economic interests of the colonial
powers.
8.5.  It was during this period of history that European
voyages of exploration and expedition sailed
throughout the world to expand their sphere
of influence and socio economic hegemony.
This was a moment in the development of
imperialism and colonialism, when for the first
time in history, the world-renowned explores
Christopher Columbus and Vasco Da Gama
reached the shores of the Americas and the East
Indies respectively.
6.  The tidal wave of the movement for the
scramble of the world was accompanied by
the cruellest forms of human rights violations,
which forced millions of the indigenous

184

people into commodities of the lucrative slave
trade. The world was a witness to the massive
disintegration of its population perpetuated by
the colonial powers into the acrimonious world
of slavery.
7.  Millions of our people throughout the world
endured atrocities as they faced the adversity
of the scramble by the forces of imperialism and
colonialism. Many of our people in the former
colonies and semi colonies were conquered
mainly because of lack of sophisticated
weaponry.
8.  Barbaric acts of genocide led to the
extermination of millions of the indigenous
people of the world. Millions of our people were
forcefully imported from the African continent
to work as slaves in most of the countries in the
American hemisphere.
9.  In our own country, millions of people from India,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Madagascar, and many
other islands in the East Indies, were forcefully
imported to work as slaves in the Cape colony
and Natal. Historical records prove that many
of the enslaved people across the world died of
hunger and disease in the slanderous hands of
the colonial masters.
10.  As a result of the strategic geo political location
of the Cape colony, the Dutch East Indian
Company instructed Jan van Riebieck to
establish a refreshment station at the Cape in
order to provide voyages of ships to the East
Indies with fresh food and water.
11.  The establishment of the refreshment station at
the Cape was a turning point of fierce struggle
by our people against the forces of imperialism
and colonialism. Like many other people of the
world, the indigenous people of our country
found themselves having to wage struggle
against intrusion, territorial conquest and
expansion by the colonial masters.
12.  At the same time the strategic location of the
Cape colony and its prospective influence on
the world map, exacerbated tensions between
the Dutch and the British colonial powers. This

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
led to many of the Voortrekker community
migrating into the hinterlands of our country, in
protest against the laws imposed by the British
administration.
13.  The movement of the Voortrekkers into the
hinterlands sparked a wave of frontier and
tribal wars across the breath and length of our
country. The scramble for the dispossession of
land and livestock led to wars, which dominated
the South African political scene for centuries to
come.
14.  The contradictions of the colonial interest
between the Dutch and the British colonial
administrations led to the establishment of
the first Boer republics of the Transvaal and the
Orange Free State.
15.  These contradictions steered the Afrikaner
nationalism, which was against the domination
of the British administration and the struggle for
the control of the economy after the discovery
of gold and diamond that led to the outbreak of
the Anglo Boer war.
16.  The catastrophic war between the Afrikaner
and English-speaking people led to the total
destruction of the entire socio economic base
of the Afrikaner community. The war indeed
became one of the major contributors to the
poor white problem immediately after the
establishment of the Union of South Africa.
17.  After the most destructive battle between the
English and the Afrikaner speaking people,
protracted negotiations led to the peace treaty
of the Vereeniging in the year 1902. The thrust
of the negotiated settlement was fundamental
towards the establishment of the Union of
South Africa under the British dominion.
18.  The formation of the Union was a catalyst
towards the systematic segregation of the vast
majority of the black people of our country
from the political and socio economic decisionmaking processes. The black majority was
marginalised from becoming meaningful
participants and architects of the birth of the
Union of South Africa.
19.  The participants at the peace treaty of
Vereeniging rejected the inclusion of the nonracial franchise clause in the draft constitution
of the Union of South Africa. The unfolding
events prompted the black people of our
country to forge for a formation of a political

movement that would champion the wishes
and aspirations of the majority.
20.  The peace treaty of the Vereeniging was the
main architect of the formation of the union
of South Africa. The strategic desire was to find
common grounds to unite both the British and
the Dutch colonial interests against the black
people who constituted the majority of the
population in our country.
21.  The painstaking event saw the forebears of our
movement resonating with the defeated African
Kingdoms and Chiefdoms, as well as other
enlightened sections of our society from the
western missionary education, to demand for the
inclusion of the African people in the formation
of their nation state. It was the culmination of
these episodes of historical events, commencing
with the conquest and dispossession of our
African tribes by the colonial settlers, to the
last horrendous subjugation of the Bambatha
Rebellion, with the establishment of the Union of
South Africa in 1910 that led to the formation of
the ANC in 1912.
22.  Unity of purpose amongst the sections of
Africans from various persuasions, including
those from our neighbouring countries, saw the
need for the formation of a political movement,
which will take forward our struggle against
imperialism and colonial domination.
23.  The period before and after the formation of the
Union of South Africa saw various deputations,
presentations and petitions to the British Queen,
urging her to persuade our white compatriots
to include the black majority into the political
decision making processes. This is indicative of
how our movement understood the importance
of diplomacy and peaceful means of resolving
the political problems in our country, at its most
embryonic stage of development.
24.  In 1917 the victory of the Bolshevik party in
Russia ushered in the triumph of the great
October socialist revolution that was the
momentous epoch making the event that saw
the establishment of the first ever-socialist state
in the history of mankind.
25.  The great October Socialist Revolution was an
outstanding historical event of our modern
times. It marked a decisive turning point in the
struggle of the people of the world against
imperialism and colonialism.

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26.  The victory of the great October socialist
revolution became an epicenter of struggle of the
people of the world to fight against imperialism
and the emancipation of the colonised people. It
became a political instrument to formulate the
principles, strategies and tactics of the working
class struggle nationally and internationally.
27.  One of the most important questions before the
world communist movement was its dialectical
relationship with the nationalists’ movements
of the oppressed people in the colonies and
semi colonies. The role and contribution of the
Communist movement towards the liberation
of the people of the world from the bondage of
imperialism and colonial domination.
28.  In 1928 the Communist international instructed
all Communist parties of the world to established
relationships with nationalist movements in the
colonies and semi colonies. Communist parties
were instructed to work with proletarian parties
in the colonies and semi colonies, providing
moral and material support to the cause of their
struggle against imperialism and colonialism.
29.  As early as 1915, the leadership of the
international socialist league in South Africa
was already grappling with the most important
question of internationalism and solidarity.
The departure point was that internationalism
should not only aim at unity with the Russian,
Italian, and German Social Democrats, but also
to embrace unity of all sections of the working
class in South Africa, Black and White. They
argued strongly that internationalism, which
does not concede the fullest rights, which the
native working class is capable of claiming,
would be a sham.
30.  The presidium of the sixth congress of the
second international in 1928 characterised the
South African situation as a British dominion
of a special type. This was premised out of the
most profound analysis that the character of
the South African economy was such that the
British imperialism occupied the principal
positions of our economy with the participation
of the South African white bourgeoisie.
31.  In other words the British imperialism carried
the economic exploitation of our country with
the involvement of the white South African
bourgeoisie. The oppressed people of our
country did not only suffer from capitalist
exploitation and colonial domination, but also

186

from racial discrimination.
32.  As a consequence, the sixth congress of
the international made a clarion call for the
establishment of an independent native South
African Republic, as a stage towards workers
and peasant republic with full and equal rights
for all races. A correct theoretical preposition of
our understanding of the national democratic
revolution.
33.  From the beginning, our struggle for national
liberation has been shaped and influenced by
the revolutionary principles and traditions of
internationalism and solidarity. Our struggle
for national liberation has always assumed an
internationalist character.
34.  Inspired by the traditions of internationalism
and solidarity, the ANC has always mastered
the theoretical grasp that the struggle of the
people of our country is part of the struggle
of the people of the world. That our struggle is
essentially about the liberation of our people
against imperialism and colonial oppression
and exploitation.
35.  The forebears of our national liberation
movement recognised that the struggle against
imperialism and colonialism in South Africa
was tantamount to the defeat of colonialism
in Africa and the rest of the colonised world.
Hence, they were enthusiastic to join the
international progressive forces in the fight
against imperialism and colonialism.
36.  The posture of the ANC on internationalism
emanates from the period as early as the turn
of the last century. Before the formation of
the South African Native National Congress,
Cde Pixley ka Seme took public platforms
against imperialism and colonialism, calling
for democracy and renewal of Africa in public
speeches and publications.
37.  It was in that context that in 1927 Cde President
Josia Gumede attended the Anti- Imperialism
conference in Brussels as the delegate of the
ANC. The conference demanded the complete
overthrow of imperialism and capitalist
domination, the protection of freedoms of
speech and assembly, and that the right to
education to be extended to all peoples.
38.  On his return from Moscow in 1928 Cde
President Josia Gumede said “I have seen the

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new world to come, where it has already begun,
I have seen a New Jerusalem”. In his Presidential
address to the congress of the ANC in 1930, he
said “Soviet Russia was the only real friend of all
subjected races and I urge congress to demand a
South African native republic with equal rights for
all and free from foreign and local domination”.
39.  The birth of the South African Communist party
and trade union movement also helped to
infuse into our struggle body politics that was
hitherto dominated by African nationalism, a
new ideological perspective informed by the
scientific revolutionary Marxist Leninist theory.
40.  This again further engraved the South African
liberation struggle into internationalism,
highlighting the importance of solidarity to
ensure furtherance of the local and international
struggle for the common values of freedom,
equality, democracy, peace and development.
41.  The events that were to follow the various
strikes in the South African mines after the end
of the First World War and the reliance on South
Africa’s manufactures during the Second World
War, helped us simultaneously to graduate
from mere mining and agriculture into a
manufacturing economy.

expectations of the colonised people of South
Africa and elsewhere. It hoped that the Summit
outcomes would reflect these aspirations, but it
would not, thus causing the movement to pin its
hope on the solidarity of the newly independent
states in the struggle for a new world.
46.  Indeed, in 1955 there was the first gathering
of forces of the global south, the Non-Aligned
Movement’s (NAM) conference in Bandung, in
which the ANC participated in shaping what,
would be known as the World Progressive
Movement. A movement committed to nonalignment in the cold war; non-proliferation
of nuclear arms; non-interference in domestic
affairs of countries; a peaceful resolution
of conflicts; and the right of all nations to
determine their own path, form and content of
development.
47.  Our movement facilitated the historic congress
of the people that adopted the Freedom Charter
in the year 1955. During this historic gathering,
our people included in the charter, the idea of a
“free and a better world for all”.
48.  It is the freedom charter that informed the idea
of a free and a better world “There shall be peace
and friendship”.

42.  This had its own consequences, as the working
class grew quantitatively and so did its high
level of political consciousness. Our scientific
Marxist Leninist revolutionary theory continued
to play its pivotal role as a guiding tool of our
struggle.

49.  Our moral standing on these basic tenants for
freedom and equality, especially in the face of
racism and bigotry, ensured that progressive
people around the globe, even in colonial
powers, supported the South African struggle
for freedom and democracy.

43.  Throughout the years of our struggle, the
leadership of the ANC has been committed to
a revolutionary transformation of society. The
ANC collaborated with other progressive forces
galvanising them into mass campaigns, in
defiance of oppressive colonial and Apartheid
racist laws.

50.  It is important to note that the Freedom
Charter was built on the 1943 African Claims
Document, as well as in the spirit and letter of
the Universal Declaration on Human Rights by
the United Nations. This was the blue print of
the social, economic and political values that
were espoused by the whole of humanity post
the Second war period.

44.  In 1941 the ANC galvanised the African people
to join the Allied Forces into a war against Hitler,
as a symbol of our struggle against the tide of
racist supremacy and fascism in the world. It
was done in earnest with the full hope that by
the end of the war, the world powers would
work towards the achievement of peace and
common friendship amongst the nation states.
45.  The ANC crafted the African Claims document
whilst the Allied Forces prepared for a Summit
in Malta scheduled for 1943 to detail the

51.  Where the Universal Declaration on Human
Rights was antithetical to the World War, the
Freedom Charter was antithetical to apartheid’s
hegemony in South Africa.
52.  On the international centre stage, the ANC made
various representations to the United Nations,
calling for its intervention against Apartheid
South Africa. It was for this reason that in 1966
the UN General Assembly declared Apartheid as
a crime against humanity.

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53.  This created the necessary momentum for
the countries of the world to isolate South
Africa on the basis of violation of fundamental
human rights. The campaign was cantered on
mobilization of the world for political, economic
and diplomatic isolation of the Apartheid South
Africa.
54.  The ANC pushed for a strong international
solidarity against apartheid, resulting in the
establishment of anti-apartheid movements
in all regions of the world. There was a
great intensification of the mobilization of
ordinary people, students, and the trade union
movements, and middle class, faith-based
organisations to support the struggle of the
oppressed in South Africa. This helped to build
a global and non-racial movement against
apartheid racial chauvinism.
55.  As evidenced by ANC President, Chief Albert
Luthuli’s Nobel Peace Prize in 1958, the struggle
for South African independence became the
centre-stage of the international struggle for the
liberation of Africa. The ANC would also occupy
the centre of the major political discourse on the
liberation of Africa during the independence
years.
56.  The ANC also co-operated with the broader
struggle against colonialism in Africa,
recognizing that the struggle in South Africa
was a part of the broader pan-African struggle
for liberation. When the Organisation of African
Unity (OAU) was established the ANC fully
participated.
57.  It recognised the OAU as a strategic platform to
mobilize the continent against the apartheid
state and former colonial powers which sought
to divide the anti-colonial struggle. It suffices to
elucidate that President OR was given a status of
the head of state at all OAU meetings.
58.  The political leadership role of the OAU was
fundamental in contributing towards the
liberation of most of the African states. The OAU
went to an extent of establishing a liberation
committee, which provided moral and material
support to national liberation movements still
waging struggle against colonial powers.
59.  The OAU liberation committee was instrumental
in assisting most of the liberation movements to
defeat the unholy alliance between Portuguese
and white South African colonialism in the
Southern African region. In Angola, Zimbabwe,

188

Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa.
60.  Many countries in Africa, particularly Southern
Africa, paid a heavy price in the destablisation
campaigns by the apartheid state and its allies
using brutal military and economic measures
to subvert the struggle led by our national
liberation movement. Frontline states, which
provided refuge for ANC cadres were invaded
and destabilised, and their economies blocked
by the apartheid regime.
61.  The Matola raid of 1981 in Mozambique, the
Maseru raid of Lesotho in 1982, the Gaborone
raid in Botswana in 1985, attacks on ANC
Headquarters in Zambia and other attacks and
assassinations in Zimbabwe and Swaziland, and
many other parts of our continent and the world.
62.  The battle at Cuito Cuanavale by the combined
forces of the Russian, Cuban and the Angolan
Military, and the units of the military wings of the
SWAPO and ANC against UNITA and the South
African Defence Force, cannot be forgotten for
how it tilted the balance of forces in our country,
the Southern African region, the continent and
the world.
63.  Even though the whole period spanning the
Cold War era resulted in intransigency by
western countries over apartheid, ordinary
people and various important social figures took
stances against apartheid in solidarity with the
liberation struggle led by the ANC. A number of
international platforms were in support of the
ANC struggle for liberation, apart from the OAU.
64.  Some of the European and Scandinavian
countries that were led by social democrats
aligned to the Socialist International also
assisted us morally and materially.   Artist such
as the famed Bono also took a stance against
apartheid, helping organize the Release Mandela
concerts in places such as London.
65.  We will forever remember the courage, the
tenacity, selflessness, and heroic contribution by
some of the outstanding world statesmen such
as the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palma who
sacrificed for the noble cause of the struggle for
the liberation of our country.
66.  The President of the ANC Cde OR Tambo had
to say the following after his assassination: “The
murderer’s gun that fired the fatal shot was aimed
directly against the ANC and our people as well”.

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67.  Our campaign for the mobilization of the
international community gathered so much
attention that by the late eighties the ANC had
20 diplomatic representative offices in Africa, 14
in Europe, and 4 in the North America and the
Asian countries respectively. Our movement
essentially had more international diplomatic
presence than the apartheid regime.
68.  Today our democratic government led by the
ANC has the presence of the diplomatic after
the USA. We are the second biggest for obvious
that the city of New York, is the host of the UN
General Assembly.
69.  More importantly our struggle was interwoven
with the international cause for the promotion
of the values enshrined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. As a result many
African countries adopted the ANC struggle
anthem “Nkosi Sikelela I-Afrika” as their national
anthem post-colonial independence.
70.  With this enormous international support, the
ANC was able to protect our struggle from
the enemies of our revolution. Thanks to the
profound and tireless exemplary collective
leadership of President OR Tambo.
71.  We should also contextualise the period of
our armed struggle from the perspective of
internationalism and solidarity. Our armed
struggle was to be unthinkable without the
moral and material support of the international
community.
72.  Many countries of the world became second
homes to the leadership of the movement
banished into exile by the racist apartheid
regime. This interconnection of solidarity made
the people of the world the integral part of our
struggle for freedom and equality.
73.  The process of negotiations in the late 1980
was a culmination of intense pressure from
our people and the international world. Thanks
to the visionary leadership of our movement
for making the world understand that the
Apartheid regime was a crime against humanity.
74.  The collapse of the Berlin wall and socialism in
the Soviet Union and Eastern European States
influenced our transition towards the negotiated
political settlement in our country. The cause of
events in the world changed tremendously in
favour of the US led imperialism.

75.  At the same time the unbanning of our
national liberation movement and the release
of our political prisoners was the victory of
the struggle of our people and the world. The
1994 democratic breakthrough was indeed a
celebration of the struggle of the progressive
world movement.
76.  The adoption of our democratic constitution with
the fundamental bill of rights symbolised the
cause of our struggle for freedom and equality
to the people of the world. Our constitution
borrowed heavily from constitutional experiences
of various countries, again highlighting our social,
economic and political values as integral to the
rest of the world.
77.  The struggle led by the ANC is rooted in
internationalism and solidarity. Our common
vision is to build the world of peace and
tranquillity. We want peace in the Middle East, in
the Great lakes, Sudan, Palestine, Libya, Somalia,
and many other parts of the world.
78.  From the roots of its historical formation, the
ANC firmly believed that our cause for national
liberation would achieve its objectives, when all
its formations, including the women and youth,
continue to occupy the forefront tranches of
our struggle. Our youth and women formations
made tremendous contribution towards the
isolation of the racist Apartheid regime both
domestically and internationally.
79.  The aftermath of the formation of the Women’s
International Democratic Federation after the
Second World War, saw Cde Helen Joseph and
Lilian Ngoyi, representing South African women
in general and ANC women in particular, in all
conferences organised by the federation. This
added the voice of the ANC in its struggle against
colonialism and imperialism internationally.
80.  As a result, the ANC Women‘s Section – as it was
known during the years in exile, represented
the women of the continent in both the Bureau
and Secretariat of the WIDF until the end of the
cold war in Berlin where it was headquartered.
Subsequently the headquarters were moved
back to Paris in France.
81.  It is important to mention that the ANC Women
section was a founding member of the Pan
African Women’s Organisation (PAWO), the
organisation that preceded the formation of
the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

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82.  Through PAWO the ANC Women Section was
able to highlight the challenges facing the
South African people. It was able to highlight
the problems of triple oppression confronting
the women of our continent.
83.  Throughout the history of our struggle, the
ANC youth league participated in youth and
student organizations across the world. As
member of the World Federation of Democratic
Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of
Socialist Youth (IUSY), All Africa Student Union
(AASU), the ANCYL brought to the attention of
the international community the plight of the
struggle of the people of our country.
84.  It is equally important to bring to the fore
the most important question that the ANC
was also inspired by Pan African movement
which emerged at the turn of the 20th century.
Alongside conferences of the communist
international in the period between world
wars, ANC leaders also attended some of the 7

190

Pan-African Conferences that knitted together
a pan-African internationalist agenda around
rights of the oppressed, mostly black people,
solidarity, anti-imperialism, the land rights, unity
of Africa and reform of international political
economy.
85.  This is why ANC’s internationalism is antiimperialist and pan-Africanist in its outlook.
Without
this
acknowledgement,
this
commitment to African Renaissance that Prixley
ka Seme well articulated in 1906, which Albert
Luthuli and OR Tambo and also Thabo Mbeki
constantly emphasized, becomes incidental
rather than fundamental to the evolution of
ANC’s internationalism.
86.  Internationalism and international solidarity has
been an important political pillar in the history
of our struggle for freedom and equality. The
ANC always understood that our struggle is an
integral part of the worldwide struggle against
imperialism and colonialism.

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ANNEXURE 2

ECONOMIC GROWTH, JOBS AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
INTRODUCTION
n  The ANC’s international relations policy is  Informed
by the Freedom Charter “there shall be peace and
friendship” and bases its international relations
on forging relations to carry forth its vision of
attaining a better Africa and a better world that
is humane, just, equitable and free.   The ANC’s
International relations further moves from the
premise that its foreign policy is an expression of
the domestic policy.  Therefore, the ANC, in pursuit
of its international relations objectives aspires
to ensure peace on the continent and the globe
while pursuing South Africa’s national interests.
However, South Africa’s national interests is not
narrowly focused on South Africa but includes
ensuring peace, stability and development
through working collectively with political
parties, progressive organisations and progressive
individuals and governments of countries, towards
the development and progress of the people on
the African continent.
n  To ensure that international relations work
is focused   the ANC International Relations
Programme of Action (POA)  is based on six pillars
namely:
o  Building a better Africa and World inclusive of
peace building, post-conflict reconstruction
and development
o  Continental and International Solidarity
o  Party-to-Party, Intra-party and Multiparty
Relations
o  Transformation of the Global Governance
o  Policy Development Issues
o  Campaigns
n  As mandated that all ANC NEC Subcommittees
should focus on the main theme of “Jobs, economic
growth and youth development” for the ANC’s NEC
Lekgotla, the contribution from the ANC NEC on
International Relations is as follows:
▼   JOBS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
  At the ANC 53rd Conference we adopted the
document “The second phase of transition from
Apartheid colonialism to National Democratic
Society” in which it emphasizes the following;
“should be characterised by more radical policies
and decisive action to effect thorough-going socio-

economic and continued democratic transformation,
as well as the renewal of the ANC, the Alliance and
the broad democratic forces”. In the light of this
shift in emphasis, we need to reiterate that ANC
and government was mandated to implement
Economic Diplomacy in South Africa  as stipulated
by the International   Relations resolutions of the
52nd Conference below:
 

“Conference noted the advent of democracy
has created new opportunities for South African
business both in Africa and in the world, particularly
in retail, mining, construction, engineering, bank
services, communications services, agriculture, agriprocessing etc.

 

It further noted that this opportunity whilst welcomed
brings it new challenges in the relationship between
South Africa and other African countries. Therefore:

 

The conference endorses the idea of strengthening
economic capacity in South African embassies to
assist South African businesses to gain access to
available business opportunities abroad and on the
continent; at the same time to encourage African
countries to engage in intra-African trade and take
advantage of positive economic developments
on the continent. This will encourage trade and
investment amongst African states and in the South,
thus supporting national and continental interests,
and further resolves that:
o  The ANC, through government, should ensure
that the intensification of economic diplomacy
leads to changes of colonial patterns of
economic relations, and creates possibilities
for equitable and balanced North-South
relations, transformation and beneficiation of
African natural resources, sustainable flows of
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and market
access for products from the South to generate
employment, and contribute to poverty
eradication.”
o  Therefore, South Africa’s Economic Diplomacy
should be accelerated to ensure that job
creation benefits both locals of the countries
of which South African businesses operate as
well as create opportunities for employment
of South Africans in those countries at these
businesses.
o  Government must develop a policy geared
to safeguard companies on risks involved

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 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
in investing in the continent and southsouth markets as a guarantee scheme and
provide capital for those projects which
government has interests as a way of growing
our economy and creating job opportunities.
Government (i.e. PICC - Presidential
Infrastructure Coordinating Commission)
should further fast-track the Infrastructure
Roll-out Programme on programmes that
connects South Africa to the rest of Southern
Africa. Regional Economic Communities
(REC’s) should develop the model adopted by
governments on the continent which looks at
regional integration, economic development,
infrastructure development and peopleto-people movement in the continent with
particular priority focus on Southern Africa.
o  South Africa has been given the opportunity
to Chair the African Union (AU) North-South
of the continent to develop roads, railway
and ports, including projects as articulated
in NEPAD.    Funding for this has been made
available and South Africa has made its
contribution to the Pan-African Fund.  
Other countries that have not made their
contributions as yet should be encouraged to
do so.  It is further important for South Africa
to fast-track the implementation of projects
under our Chairpersonship, as the finalisation
of this would promote intra-trade between
countries markets and encourage initiatives
moving toward free-trade agreements.This will
positively contribute towards development in
Southern African Development Community
(SADC) and the continent.
o  South Africa is facing intense competition
in infrastructure projects on the African
continent, particularly because our BRICS
partners give cheap credit to their companies
which South Africa should learn from and
develop our own responsive programmes that
would assist us in attaining our developmental
goals. In addition, South African companies
ought to pay attention to increasing the
quality of their products, and those doing
business abroad should be encouraged to
source their products from South Africa in
order to boost local production and increase
employment opportunities.
o 

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South Africa must take a conscious decision
by developing a policy, legislation, regulation
and guidelines to export South African skills
into the region, continent and the rest of the
world where opportunities presents itself.
for example, that gives rise to exportation

of labour enmass to other developed and
developing economies.   For example, since
the early 1990s South Africa has had an
excess of nurses that have ventured into
finding employment in the continent and
other countries abroad.   Similarly we should
encourage our lectures and other areas
of labour to begin to seek employment in
countries of the continent primarily and
secondary in other countries abroad.
o 

We encourage South African’s to take jobs in
multilateral institutions as approved by the
cabinet Secondment Policy on incentives.

▼   YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
n  African History and Liberation History should be
part of the Foundation phase subjects at schools
as we want to produce proudly African citizens
in South Africa.   It should be a prerequisite that
schools should be encouraged to fly the South
African Flag, SADC Flag and African Union Flag
as well as sing the South African, SADC and
African Union Anthem; as building consciousness
amongst young people to develop the passion
towards taking opportunities in the continent.
n  There is a need to promote Portuguese, French,
Spanish and Arabic in schools so that young
people could be encouraged to work for the
international institutions where South Africa
is a member, such as the United Nations (UN),
African (UN), International Labour Organisation
(ILO) and so forth. Opportunities must be created
for South African’s as well as to access exchange
programmes and this would further contribute
to the development of our domestic tourism and
Skills in general.
n  DIRCO in partnership with other departments
should be creative in setting up programmes for
South African youth to explore the continent and
the world in terms of education and business as
a way of increasing the South African youth’s
knowledge on Africa and the World.
Scholarships and Training Opportunities
n   Government should develop a programme to
encourage young people to study abroad with
particular reference to targeting the countries
that could assist in fast-tracking skills that are
rare in South Africa, with specific emphasis on
Southern Africa, the continent and BRICS countries
and the rest of the world by using government

 NGC 2015 DISCUSSION DOCUMENTS
scholarships, scholarship raised elsewhere and
utilise learning institutions on the continent for
children to obtain their qualifications.
n   DIRCO should better communicate, coordinate
and follow-up the scholarship and internship
programmes availed from their heads of South
African Missions, foreign embassies accredited
to South Africa and international agencies. A
conscious programme should be developed
to ensure that all scholarship and internship
programmes are taken up by youth in South
African. The information received by DIRCO
should also be given to the ANC to disseminate
to its constituencies and there should be a
clear drive from constituencies to identify cable
South African youth that could be put into these
programmes.   The ANC and government should
also actively encourage its own cadres and citizens
to participate in such programmes.   Recruitment
should target school-going, post-school and outschool as a priority but also those that are already
in the industries as a promotion of continuous
learning due to continual technological and skills
changes in the globe.
n   Government should set aside a certain percentage
of the scholarships it provides to South Africans
to study internally and reallocate it to students
wanting to study abroad based on the CubanSouth African training programme that is a
success.
▼ SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
n   The country Councils such as the Engineering,
Medical Board, Legal Board must expedite
the accreditation of specialized skills so as to
create opportunities for these specialists to seek
employment in the continent and the international.
These will allow South Africans to acquire more
skills and knowledge that is required to develop
our country. We should ensure that all specialists
in the various fields of employment are correctly
accredited at the various Councils such as the
Engineering Council, Medical Board, Legal Board,
etc.  This would also then create the opportunities
for these specialists to seek employment in the
continent and the international arena.
n   South Africa must develop skills of its citizens

in the required areas so that the South Africans
could take advantage of job opportunities on the
continent, South Africa must develop its citizen
skills level.

Migration Issues
n   The policy on dual citizenship needs to be
reviewed to making a thorough analysis of the
pros and cons and developing a policy option that
would take South Africa forward. .
n   Migration laws should be reviewed in line with
international laws and standards but with the
view to protect the integrity and sovereignty of
the country.
n   Regulation of businesses had been delegated to
municipalities post apartheid. The legislation on
business and companies must be amended to
bring back the powers from municipalities to the
National government to enable the government
to deal with issues of the elicit economy.
n   Sectoral determination of salaries should be
regulated across the board whether one is a South
Africa or Foreign employees to ensure that all
people in the country contribute to South Africa’s
tax base, except for those subjected to double
taxation as well as ensure that all workers enjoy
labour rights as enshrined in the South African
labour laws.

FIGHTING CRIME, PEACE AND STABILITY
n   Issues trans-national crimes must take a centre
stage by insuring that we coordinate efficiently
and effectively with international security bodies,
we are members of, such as INTERPOL. Crime
strategy to deal with International Syndicates on
counterfeit goods, human trafficking, protection
of endangered species, pouching of marine
resources, amongst others, will have a positive
impact as these crimes directly affects job creation
issues.
n   We need to analyse and review the new crimes
that are arising from transnational crimes that is
domesticating itself and having a negative impact
on economic and job growth.

Let’s go into a festival of ideas!!!
AMANDLA!!!!!

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