Address by DIRCO Minister Ronald Lamola on SA's Foreign Policy

Minister Ronald Lamola's address details South Africa's strategic approach to foreign policy, emphasizing the need to address the root causes of irregular migration among Africa's youth and the necessity of reforming the global financial architecture to ensure debt sustainability. He highlights South Africa's leadership roles in the G20 and BRICS to advance African priorities, including climate finance and inequality, while committing to regional peace and security efforts in Sudan, South Sudan, and the DRC.

• South Africa faces significant challenges with irregular migration, which the government asserts must be managed in an "orderly, lawful and humane manner." The Minister notes that South Africa is one of seven SADC countries to ratify the 2005 SADC Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons and supports the African Union Free Movement of Persons Protocol.
• Economic hardship and lack of opportunity drive migration for Africa's youth; a 2025 Afrobarometer survey of 38 countries found nearly 6 in 10 young Africans aged 18-25 considered leaving their home countries, with over 70% citing economic hardship and the need for work. By 2030, 30 million young people are expected to enter the job market annually, while current economies only create about 3 million jobs per year.
• South Africa is using its G20 Presidency and roles in BRICS to advocate for a reformed global financial architecture to address a "development crisis" characterized by unsustainable debt. The Minister highlights that approximately 750 million Africans live in countries where debt service limits investment in essential services and infrastructure.
• South Africa is prioritizing global initiatives to combat inequality and climate change, including a plan with Brazil, Spain, and Norway to introduce a UN General Assembly resolution for an International Panel on Inequality. The G20 Presidency also focused on climate finance, disaster resilience, and beneficiation at source.
• South Africa is committing resources and diplomatic efforts to regional stability and health, including contributing 2.5 million US dollars from the African Renaissance Fund to combat the Ebola outbreak. It also seeks a ceasefire and elections in South Sudan, an end to fighting in Sudan, and a durable solution in the eastern DRC.

APA

Lamola, R. (2026). Address by DIRCO Minister Ronald Lamola on SA's Foreign Policy. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/research/address-by-dirco-minister-ronald-lamola-on-sas-foreign-policy-2/

Chicago

Lamola, Ronald. Address by DIRCO Minister Ronald Lamola on SA's Foreign Policy. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2026. https://saiia.org.za/research/address-by-dirco-minister-ronald-lamola-on-sas-foreign-policy-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lamola |first1=Ronald |title=Address by DIRCO Minister Ronald Lamola on SA's Foreign Policy |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=26 May 2026 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/address-by-dirco-minister-ronald-lamola-on-sas-foreign-policy-2/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lamola2026address, author = {Lamola, Ronald}, title = {{Address by DIRCO Minister Ronald Lamola on SA's Foreign Policy}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/address-by-dirco-minister-ronald-lamola-on-sas-foreign-policy-2/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }