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UNGA80: SA Ramaphosa powerful speech

Posted by Europe correspondent on

New York UNGA80 President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa used his speech at the 80th United Nations General Assembly to spotlight the escalating crisis in Gaza, condemning what he called genocide and famine imposed on Palestinians. Ramaphosa referenced South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice, echoed global consensus on Israel’s actions as genocide, and urged immediate international intervention to halt the violence. He welcomed the growing support for Palestinian statehood and called upon all UN member states to protect Palestinian rights and push for a viable two-state solution. Ramaphosa’s passionate plea underscores South Africa’s role in seeking justice and an end to suffering in Gaza.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appealed to world leaders to dig deeper in a bid to address global socioeconomic challenges, as some of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals remain elusive.

This includes efforts to eradicate poverty, reducing unemployment and addressing the root causes of inequality.

Ramaphosa made the appeal at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

Ramaphosa said there were many reasons that hold many countries from fulfilling and implementing these development goals, including insufficient financial resources.

“Many countries with developing economies, especially in Africa, do not have adequate capital to finance their development goals. They are indebted and are paying more on debt servicing than they do on health and education.”

But he said headway could be made through global cooperation.

“Yet through global solidarity, by having fairer lending rules, especially for several countries of the Global South, we can achieve our shared commitment.”

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Previously South Africa has rejected the U.S. government report accusing it of moving towards land seizures from white farmers, calling the allegation “deeply flawed” and “inaccurate”. The claim was made in the latest annual human rights report from the U.S. State Department, which has faced criticism for softening language on the abuses of Washington’s allies while targeting governments it clashes with.

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In its section on South Africa, the report said the government had taken “a substantially worrying step towards land expropriation of Afrikaners and further abuses against racial minorities”, describing the situation as worsening.

This was a marked shift from last year’s assessment, which found no significant change in the country’s human rights record.

“We find the report to be an inaccurate and deeply flawed account that fails to reflect the reality of our constitutional democracy,” Pretoria’s foreign ministry said, adding its “profound disappointment” at the claims.

In February 2025, a South African court ruled that claims of white genocide were unfounded, calling them “not real” and “clearly imagined.”

The ruling came after a wealthy benefactor in the country wanted to donate $2.1 million to the white supremacist group Boerelegioen, which was denied by the court.

While claims of a white genocide have been disallowed by the court, it is true that there is a problem with farmers being murdered in South Africa.

During the Oval Office meeting with Trump, Ramaphosa said, “There is criminality in our country. People who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity are not only white people, majority of them are Black people.”

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