It’s not often that a photograph of Kate Middleton and Prince William sees the royal pair parted. However, in a quick shot of the recent Buckingham Palace banquet, none other than President Cyril Ramaphosa stood his ground — right in the middle — leaving the three beaming in Christmas card-approved fashion.
Beyond a few local jests that Ramaphosa looks like the ultimate ‘third-wheeler’, the state visit has been a topic of conversation for a few more substantial reasons:
This was the first state visit of King Charles’ reign
Not only that, it’s also the UK’s first state visit since 2019. The last took place before the pandemic, and it hosted Donald Trump — two matters that speak for themselves.
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Although the state visit was originally planned before Queen Elizabeth’s passing, the political rumour mill couldn’t help but wonder if the plan to host South Africa would change. It didn’t, which signalled that UK-SA relations were going according to plan.
Why do state visits matter?
For most countries, state visits are pretty significant. They send a clear public message about bilateral relations, are requested by the hosting states, and indicate future diplomatic and economic relationships.
The pompous and the promising
Especially by UK standards, state visits are no small get-together. Think parades (the Horse Guards’ to be specific), pageantry, banqueting, royal salutes and a plethora of royal welcomes (hence the Prince and Princess of Wales’ feature). And, that was just day one.
But the true icing atop the formalities’ cake (according to the South African government) was the economic aid proposal.
According to AFP, Ramaphosa urged an agenda to “rebuild our economy in the wake of the pandemic and the era of state capture.” However, he made it clear that economic injections are not to be seen as charity, but rather compensation.
Compensation?
Industrialisation was brought to Africa by colonial legacies, and wealthy countries, per Ramaphosa, have left us with their weighted consequences.
In speaking to lawmakers, Ramaphosa reportedly referred to a Buckingham lunchtime discussion. Said discussion included “initiatives that can be embarked upon by the Commonwealth under the leadership of his majesty the king.” Ie: opportunities for aid.
Specifically, Ramaphosa’s focus was on ‘climate aid’. Considering South Africa’s ongoing energy crisis and the COP27 meeting, which was held this November, the idea for a developing nation’s fund along these parameters made sense to many.
Or not
The DA in London protested the visit early on, bringing the Ukraine-Russia war into the mix and attempting to “stop the president from trying to ‘king wash’ his administration”, per TimesLive.
Others are suspicious of the relations for other reasons, namely whether it will land SA in more debt. Although the ‘UK-South Africa Infrastructure Partnership’ could also be an opportunity for job creation, many South Africans are still sceptical.
Beyond South Africa
Although the meeting has highlighted SA-UK relations, many other developing countries will bank on the agreement going smoothly.
A key factor of the Tuesday discussions was that Ramaphosa asked for reform within the UN Security Council, which has no permanent African members part of the Big 5.
However, with corrupt allegations, a country still in the midst of loadshedding woes and an economy knocked by inflation, Ramaphosa will need to give locals more than dinner and a show.
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Feature Image: Justin Tallis – WPA Pool/Getty Images
