Thuli Madonsela: SOUTH AFRICAS NEW ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Georg Lennkh in conversation with Thuli Madonsela
SOUTH AFRICAS NEW ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS


 


Today, South Africa plays a leading political and economic role
on the African continent. The country is committed to resolving
intra-African conflicts and strengthening regional organizations
such as the African Union (AU) and the Southern African
Development Community (SADC).


In the global economy, South Africa plays a mediating role
between industrialized and developing countries. In international
organizations such as the United Nations, the G20 and the World
Trade Organization (WTO), South Africa sees itself as an advocate
for Africa’s interests. In 2023, South Africa held the presidency
of the BRICS states, an informal group of emerging economies.


The fact that more than half of South Africa’s population lives
below the national poverty line is a cause for concern. The black
population is particularly affected. There is hardly any other
country in the world where income and wealth are distributed as
unequally as in South Africa.


South Africa is also intervening on a geopolitical level. Since
the beginning of the Gaza war, the country has been one of the
fiercest critics of the Israeli military operation. It has called
on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the main UN legal
body responsible for settling disputes between states, to
classify Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip as „genocide“. South
Africa has also submitted an urgent appeal to the ICJ to ensure
that Israel allows more humanitarian aid into the embattled Gaza
Strip.


One of the most knowledgeable experts on historical and current
developments in the country is the former Public Protector of
South Africa and former founder of the Thuma Foundation for
Democracy Leadership and Literacy, Thuli
Madonsela.





Prof. Madonsela is the director of the Centre for Social
Justice(CSJ) in the Faculty of Law at Stellenbosch University,
the Law Trust Research Chair Professor of Law in Social Justice
Studies and a member of the African Academy of Sciences. She was
recently appointed to the UN Scientific Advisory Board and as
Chairperson of Cities Alliance. She is a member of the
International Anticorruption Advisory Council and Global Justice
Leaders.


Prof. Madonsela was one of the drafters of the Constitution and a
key participant in the conceptualization and drafting of several
laws, including the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act. She
also helped draft a number of international human rights
instruments and country reports.





Georg Lennkh, former Austrian Special Envoy for
Africa  and former EU Special Representative in Chad, board
member of the Kreisky Forums