Executive Mayor, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Ladies and gentlemen, Greetings, We meet today in an atmosphere of global unease. The events of the last few days and recent years have placed the world on shaky ground. We see rising geopolitical ...
Opening Remarks by Honourable Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa on the occasion of the Fourth South Africa-Mozambique Bi-National Commission with HE Maria Manuela Dos Santos Lucas, Minster of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique, Maputo, 2 December 2025
Your Excellency Minister Maria Manuela Dos Santos Lucas, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Mozambique, Fellow Ministers from South Africa and Mozambique, Senior Officials and Experts from both Delegations, It is a great honour for me, fe ...
Media Statement by Minister Ronald O Lamola on preparations for the G20 Leaders’ Summit, 17 November 2025
It is my distinct honour to welcome you to the NASREC precinct, The National Arts Sports Recreation Events Centre, a place that stands as a living testament to South Africa’s journey of transformation and resilience. NASREC, also known as the Johannesb ...
Minister Lamola’s pre-recorded Keynote Address at a Special Session on G20 to the Virtual Global Town Hall 2025, Jakarta, Indonesia, 15 November 2025
Host: Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI). Theme: The Future We Want Dear delegates, Esteemed colleagues, Friends, It is a great honour to deliver this message on behalf of the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa ...
A Tribute to Ambassador Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa by Minister Ronald Lamola, 10 October 2025
Mthethwa and Family representatives, Your Excellencies, Deputy Director-General for Europe and the Americas Ambassador VM Dlomo, members of the diplomatic corps, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. Our gathering here is a sombre reminder that Ambassador ...
Closing Remarks by Minister R O Lamola at the Second G20 Foreign Minsters’ Meeting, New York, USA, 25 September 2025
Your Excellences, I would like to thank you all for your attendance and constructive participation in this Second G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting under South Africa’s G20 Presidency. We further thank the United Nations Secretary-General, HE Mr Antonio Gu ...
Statement by Minister R O Lamola at the Second G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, “The United Nations at 80: reaffirming peace as a path to sustainable development”, New York, USA, 25 September 2025
Honourable Ministers of Foreign Affairs of G20 Members, Honourable Ministers of Foreign Affairs of invited Guest Countries, Honourable Fellow Foreign Ministers of UN Members and permanent observers, G20 Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas, Heads of Invited Inter ...
Speech delivered by Minister Ronald Lamola at the International Peace Institute’s (IPI) Annual Event on Africa and the Global Order Reform of the Global Financial Architecture: G20 Imperatives for Sustainable Debt and Inclusive Growth, New York, USA, on 24 September 2025
Your Excellencies, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, My co-host, Mr Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is an honour and privilege to welcome you all here this evening. South Africa’s Leadership at the G20 South Af ...
Statement by Minister Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation to the Meeting of the Joint Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation and the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, Wednesday, 10 September 2025, Cape Town
South Africa vs Israel case at the ICJ Chairpersons of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation and the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, Honourable members of both Committees, Thank you for pr ...
Speech By Minister Ronald Lamola at the Second Annual Peace and Security Dialogue under the auspices of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation held on 4 September 2025
Former President, Your Excellencies, Esteemed Delegates, Brothers and Sisters of Africa, We stand today at a crossroads of history. In the current world of heightened uncertainty, and the return of dangerous might-makes-right policies, new possibili ...
Keynote Address by Minister Roland Lamola on the occasion of the B20 Recommendation Papers Handover, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, 4 September 2025
Good afternoon. It is a great honour to be with you today, to represent the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa. Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, if there is one thing we must take away from the ...
Speech by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Mr Ronald Lamola (MP), in the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa on the occasion of The Presidency Budget Vote Debate, delivered on 16 July 2025
A Call for Collective Action in a World Under Strain Mr President, Madam speaker, Honourable members, This budget will enable the Presidency to fulfil its obligations to build a national democratic society and not narrow political interests. So ...
Budget Vote Speech delivered by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, MP, in Parliament, Cape Town, South Africa, 3 July 2025
House Chairperson, Honourable Members, We’re tabling a budget today, just over a year since the formation of the GNU. We continue to make progress in our international relations work. Honourable Members, I have just returned from Sevilla in Spain ...
Pre-Budget Department of International Relations and Cooperation Media Briefing by Minister Ronald Lamola, in Parliament, Cape Town, South Africa, 3 July 2025
Africa: Implementing Agenda 2063 Our foreign policy is an extension of our domestic imperatives on human rights and resolving the triple challenges of inequality, poverty and unemployment. Through attracting Foreign Direct Investment, we intend to h ...
Speech delivered by Minister Ronald Lamola at the Multi-Stakeholder Round Table, under the theme “Revitalising International Development Cooperation”, in Seville, Spain, 30 June 2025
President Sanchez, Secretary-General Guterres, Prime Minister Mottley, Distinguished Delegates, Attracting private investment in developing countries remains a significant challenge due to a range of structural and systemic issues. One of the foremo ...
Speech by Minister Ronald Lamola at the High-Level Session of the Third G20 Sherpa Meeting, Sun City, 26 June 2025
Honourable Premier of the North West Province, Mr Lazarus Mokgosi, Mr Zane Dangor, G20 Sherpa and Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Sherpas from G20 Members, Invited Guests and International O ...
Remarks by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Roland Lamola, at the Launch of the South Africa-Finland Youth Peace Mediators Programme, in Pretoria, South Africa, 6 June 2025
Programme Director, Ambassador Dlomo, Honourable Minister Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Ambassador Pekka Metso, Embassy of Finland, Excellencies, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Director General of DIRCO, Mr Dangor, Rep ...
Speech by Minister Mr Ronald Lamola delivered at the Black Business Council at the OR Tambo Conference Centre, Pretoria, South Africa, on 5 June 2025
The President of the BBC Elias Monage and the entire leadership of the BBC, It is an honour and privilege to address the BBC annual summit under the theme socio economic transformation and inclusive growth in the context of the GNU, G20 Presidency and ...
Remarks by HE Mr Ronald O. Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, during the 12th High-Level Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the Region, 28 May 2025
Your Excellency, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Chairperson of the PSC Framework, Your Excellencies, Signatory Countries of the PSC Framework, Your Excellencies, Representatives of Guarantors Institutions, Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of Presi ...
Media Statement by Minister Ronald Lamola focussing on South Africa’s G20 Presidency, 12 May 2025
Good Morning to members of the media, esteemed colleagues, and fellow citizens. Please allow me to extend a very warm welcome to you all at our Headquarters, the OR Tambo Building. We have invited you today so we may brief the people of South Africa, thro ...
Opening Remarks by Honourable Ronald O. Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, on the occasion of the Council of Ministers Meeting of the Second Bi-National Commission between South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho, Maseru, Lesotho, 22 April 2025
Co-Chair and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Honourable Lejone Mpotjoana, High Commissioners, Honourable Ministers, Senior Government Officials, Members of the Media, Good Afternoon, I sincerely ...
Speech delivered by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, at the Opening of the Aziz Pahad Inaugural Annual Peace, Security and Human Rights Dialogue, in Pretoria, South Africa, Monday, 31 March 2025
Theme: Constitutionalism as the Foundation of Nation Building and Social Cohesion: A Reflection of 30 Years of Freedom, Equity and Justice in a Post Apartheid South Africa. Former President Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki and First Lady Mam Zanele Mbeki, Prof. A ...
Speech by Minister Ronald Lamola delivered in Parliament, on the Motion: USA decision to cut USAID funding and the response thereto, on 6 March 2025
It was the great son of Africa, President Kwame Nkrumah who once said, "We face neither East nor West; we face forward.” This, Honourable Members, is the foreign policy outlook of this Republic. Indeed, we as South Africa face neither East nor West, ...
Remarks by Mr Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa on The Global Geo-Political Situation, Nasrec, Johannesburg, 20 February 2025
Your Excellences, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation, G20 Sherpas and Sous Sherpas, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Allow me, once again, to reiterate the words of His Excellency, President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa in w ...
Opening Statement by Mr Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa at the South Africa-European Union Ministerial Political Dialogue held in Cape Town, on 19 February 2025
Your Excellency, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Mrs Kaja Kallas Excellencies, Ambassador Kramer of the European Union and Ambassador Xasa, South Africa’s Ambassador to the EU My ...
Speech by Minister Ronald Lamola (MP), Debate: The recent casualties sustained by the South African National Defence Force in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 10 February 2025
Honourable Members, I stand shoulder to shoulder with my esteemed parliamentary colleagues, united in our tribute to the fallen heroes of our national Defence Force members, Malawi Defence Force members, Tanzanian Defence force members and Uruguay, und ...
Liberal Democracies and the Rise of the South, Speech delivered at the Oxford Society by Mr Ronald O Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Monday, 27 January 2025
Liberal Democracies and the Rise of the South, Speech delivered at the Oxford Society by Mr Ronald O Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Monday, 27 January 2025 Thank you very much for this auspicious invitation ...
Statement by Mr Ronald Lamola at the Press Conference: The Jubilee 2025 Pilgrimage to Tackle Debt, End Poverty and Heal Our Planet, 23 December 2024, 16h00 (RSA)
Programme Director, Mr Eric LeCompte, His Eminence, Cardinal Silvano Tomasi, His Eminence, Cardinal Peter Turkson, Fellow Panellists from Caritas International, Good afternoon from South Africa. It is a very special honour for me to address you a ...
Joint Media Statement by Honourable Ronald Ozzy Lamola Minister of International and Cooperation for the Republic of South Africa and Honourable Pascoal Ronda Minister of Interior for the Republic of Mozambique on the occasion of the South Africa-Mozambique Joint Inter-Ministerial Meeting, held In Malelane, Mpumalanga Province South Africa, 18 December 2024
Today, Ministerial delegations from South Africa and Mozambique held a joint Inter-Ministerial Meeting. This important meeting between friendly and fraternal neighbouring countries is reflective of the very good levels of bilateral cooperation ...
Media Statement delivered by Minister Lamola post the Meeting with the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Mr António Guterres, Pretoria, South Africa, 11 December 2024
Secretary General, it's a great pleasure to welcome you to South Africa once more. You are not a stranger to our beautiful country and its people. And I can say with pride that you are most welcome here; you will always be welcomed with open arms. ...
Remarks by HE Minister R O Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, at the 47th UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: A Call to our Conscience, Freedom Park, Pretoria, 25 November 2024
Programme Director, Our host, the Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Park, Dr Jane Mufamadi, Former Chairperson of the AU, Your Excellency, Ambassador of The State of Palestine Hanan Jarrar, Your Excellency, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Sa ...
Opening Remarks by Minister Ronald Lamola, during the Bilateral Meeting with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development of the United Kingdom (UK), Rt. Hon David Lammy, in Cape Town, South Africa, on 5 November 2024
Foreign Secretary Lammy, Lord Collins of Highbury, High Commissioner Philipson, Director-General Dangor, Senior Officials from the British and South African Delegations, Your Excellency, I am pleased to welcome you to South Africa, and I hope that ...
Opening Remarks by Minister Lamola for the Meeting of the South Africa-Namibia Diplomatic, Political and Legal Committee, Swakopmund, 14 to 15 October 2024
My Dear Brother and Colleague, Minister Dr Peya Mushelenga, Ministers and Deputy Ministers present here today, Our High Commissioners, Senior Officials and Experts from both Countries, Excellency and Dear Brother Minister Mushelenga, thank you for th ...
Address by Minister Ronald Lamola, during the Thucydides Trap – Challenges and Opportunities for Africa, held at the MISTRA Head Office on 11 October 2024
Mr Joel Netshitenzhe (Executive Director – MISTRA), Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Representatives of Government, Representatives of the Research Community, Academia, and Civil Society, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I extend my gra ...
Statement by Minister Ronald Lamola at the United Nations Security Council High-Level Open Debate under the Agenda Item, Maintenance of International Peace and Security, Leadership for Peace: United in respect of the UN Charter, in search of a Secure Future, 25 September 2024
We thank Dr Robert Golob, Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, for convening this debate. We also wish to extend our gratitude to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the briefers, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International ...
Opening Remarks by Minister Ronald Lamola on the occasion of the Working Visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, Mr Espen Barth Eide, Pretoria, 30 August 2024
Your Excellency, Mr Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway; it gives me great pleasure to welcome you and your esteemed delegation to South Africa for this meeting. Our engagement today allows us to review the current st ...