Zuma challenges Ramaphosa's approach to foreign diplomacy

FORMER South African president Jacob Zuma has issued a pointed rebuke of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent diplomatic outreach to the United States, suggesting that foreign involvement in domestic matters undermines national sovereignty.

- SIFISO MAHLANGU

Addressing a crowd of his uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party supporters in KwaMaphumulo over the weekend, Zuma questioned the legitimacy and wisdom of appealing to international actors, particularly the United States, for assistance with South Africa’s internal challenges.

“Why must we expect strangers, sitting in Washington, to understand what we are going through?” Zuma asked during his speech.

“We know our problems better than anyone else. We should be the ones to solve them.”

The comments come just weeks after President Ramaphosa led a high-profile ministerial delegation to Washington, DC, to mend strained diplomatic ties with the Trump administration and attract investment amid growing economic pressures at home.