Arab News Japan

TOKYO: South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile says his country wants to see a ceasefire in Gaza and says the killing of innocents there should not be tolerated.

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on Wednesday, Mashatile said: “South Africa has been a supporter of the people of Palestine for many years to be free. We are one of the countries that supported the idea of the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine to live happily side by side.”

South Africa, he pointed out, initiated proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that led to an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of genocide against the Palestinians.

“When we took the case to the ICJ, it was on the basis that we want to protect life,” Mashatile said. “The killing of children, innocent children and women in Gaza is something that should not be tolerated. And that’s the reason why we approached the court.”  

“We would like to see Israel and Palestine resolve their issue. So, we support the cessation of hostilities. And I do hope that the ceasefire agreement will hold. We will be happy when that happens. And let’s make sure that the killings stop, that people can negotiate, and that they focus on development.”

Mashatile emphasizes that South Africa is a proud non-aligned country that always seeks peace, a commitment that extends to the war in Ukraine.

“We are not taking sides in Ukraine,” he stated. “We were accused at some point that we are siding with Russia against Ukraine. We’re not doing that. When our president went to Ukraine, it was to ensure that he encourages both sides to seek peaceful solutions through negotiations.”

Mashatile reveals that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit South Africa shortly, a visit that South Africa hopes will contribute to the peace process.

“When we resolved our challenges in South Africa under apartheid, we were trained and developed as young people in the country by the likes of President Nelson Mandela that you can resolve conflict through negotiations,” he said. “And we did it successfully. We negotiated. People thought we couldn’t do it because some of us were in jail under apartheid, and people were saying, ‘How are you going to talk with your jailers?’ But we did it, and we managed to agree on a peaceful resolution of our conflict.”

Mashatile was in Japan to talk with the Japanese government about investment in Africa, which has been helped by the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). The creation of the African continental free trade area is expected to boost investment in Africa, and the assumption of the G20 presidency has helped South Africa.

“Our intention during this presidency is placing Africa’s development at the top of the agenda,” Mashatile said. “It is important to ensure that the G20 remains sensitive to the needs of the developing economies of Africa and to advance the interests and aspirations of the global south.”