ActionSA noted on Wednesday that South Africa needs to begin to put economic diplomacy at the centre of the country’s foreign policy as the economy continues to falter.

ActionSA Team Fix South Africa Member for International Relations Solly Moeng was speaking at the unveiling of the party’s approach to foreign policy where he highlighted that as a party committed to basic and inalienable human rights, ActionSA had long maintained, alongside other observers, that the current Zanu-PF government was not “democratically” elected and was directly responsible for the economic meltdown taking place in Zimbabwe, with severe spillover effects in South Africa.

Moeng noted that ‘quiet diplomacy’ needed to be replaced with ‘hard diplomacy’, hard diplomacy which made it clear which lines should not be crossed, as well as making sure the country’s partners knew that South Africa’s contribution to aiding developments in other parts of the world would not come at the cost of neglecting South Africans.

“Today, cold-war-era alliances continue to stubbornly take precedence over the lives of ordinary South Africans. Zimbabwe remains a country that should be a strong economic partner to our north, one with which we could trade and grow together after the many years of apartheid and racist rule that denied black citizens equal opportunities in both countries,” he said.

He highlighted that today, Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown had meant that what could have been the country’s great partner had become a “burden”, with an estimated 1.5-million economic migrants seeking refuge in South Africa.

This, he said, had of course, placed a large strain on healthcare, education, housing, and other South African taxpayer funded services.

Moeng explained that the need to have a balanced foreign policy, mindful of key issues affecting South Africa, Southern Africa, Africa, the global South, and the rest of the world, had never been more paramount.

“We believe strongly that we must have a government that works for South Africans, not just the ANC’s ideological interests and dogma. Irrespective of which party leads the government, it should support local businesses, entrepreneurs, and the country’s citizens ahead of its partisan interests, be they financial or ideological,” he said.

He criticised the African National Congress (ANC) of reckless miscalculations on the global stage, which he said continued to threaten solid trade partnerships with the US, a country to which South Africa exported goods worth R258-billion in 2023, accounting for about 12.6% of total exports.

By comparison, South Africa exported goods worth a mere R5.2-billion to Russia in 2023, representing only 0.25% of our total exports, he added.

ActionSA said it would seek to build robust economic partnerships grounded in mutual benefit and focused on fostering innovation, technological advancements, and skills development.

The party noted that it would leverage its strategic geographical position and rich resources to foster regional economic integration, improve connectivity and facilitate trade and investment.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Meanwhile, the party said porous borders undermined the country’s democratic State and made it difficult for those who wished to enter South Africa to do so legally, explaining that immigration processes, including notoriously porous border crossings, could not reasonably be left as they were.

ActionSA condemned any discriminatory acts of violence committed against foreign nationals, regardless of their immigration status.

“We propose to simplify administrative procedures to make it easier for refugees, immigrants, tourists, and asylum-seekers to enter South Africa legally. This is important for national security and economic integrity. It is also important if our country is to be taken off the grey list so that we can regain our credibility as a country whose financial institutions are not suspected of serving the interests of global organised crime,” said Moeng.