By Frans Sello waga Machate I Pretoria, South Africa
PRETORIA — South Africa and Germany have reaffirmed their commitment to the consistent application of international law without double standards, even as the two nations acknowledged differences in their approach to conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine and beyond, during a joint press conference at the conclusion of German Foreign Minister Dr Johann Wadephul’s working visit to South Africa.
The media briefing, held at the DIRCO Media Briefing Room on Thursday, followed official bilateral talks between International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola and his German counterpart. The discussions formed part of Wadephul’s four-day Africa tour, which included stops in Mauritania and Nigeria, and came just months after the two countries elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership during the 12th Meeting of the Bi-National Commission in Berlin in April 2026.
Lamola opened by emphasising that respect for international law was a central theme of the discussions, describing the engagement as “robust” on this front.
“International law must be principled, must be consistent, must be predictable. There must be no double standards in the application of international law,” Lamola told reporters. “International law must be applicable across the board.”
He took aim at what he described as the selective application of legal standards in the Middle East, stating: “In the context of the Middle East, there must be no international law for Israel and international law for Iran.”
Lamola said South Africa had been clear that a number of provisional orders from international courts continued to be ignored by Israel. He also condemned the military confrontation involving Iran, saying it could have been avoided.
“Our view is very clear that this was an unnecessary war, it could have been avoided and that it happened just on the eve of the parties at an advanced stage of negotiations with regards to the nuclear issues,” Lamola said. “And again now there is a risk of further escalation of the conflict.”
South Africa, he said, continues to call for a return to the negotiation table for “durable peace, for peace that is sustainable.”
Wadephul, while acknowledging the importance of consistent legal standards, offered a distinct perspective on Israel’s right to self-defence.
“Yes, we agree fully. There mustn’t be double standards and of course international jurisdiction has to decide what is just and what isn’t. And of course individuals and states have to adhere to this. So we are fully aligned here in different contexts,” Wadephul said.
“But what is clear is that Germany and Israel are close friends and partners and we expect Israel to adhere to its obligations under international law. But Israel also has the right to defend itself; for instance, against the attacks that are initiated and controlled by Iran, the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, initiated from Lebanon.”
Wadephul stressed that actions of defence “have to be adequate” and that Germany raises these matters critically with its Israeli counterparts, including on settlement activities in the West Bank.
At the same time, he condemned violations of international law by Iran-aligned actors.
“I’m equally clear about the fact that Iran is violating international law in the Strait of Hormuz by mining and firing missiles at ships as we’ve just seen. And I condemn that the Houthis that are being controlled by Iran have attacked a Saudi ship in the Red Sea. That too is a violation of international law and this has to stop.”
On the war in Ukraine, Lamola reiterated South Africa’s position that any settlement must be anchored in international law and respect for sovereignty.
He noted President Cyril Ramaphosa’s continued engagement with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as part of ongoing peace efforts, including the African Peace Initiative.
“We stated that our President has engaged both parties, President Putin and President Zelensky, with an aim of them arriving to a long-lasting solution. He led an Africa peace initiative which will continue at the level of shuttle diplomacy in between the capitals,” Lamola said.
Lamola reported that President Zelensky had indicated a willingness to return to negotiations. “We are pleased that in the last engagement between our President and President Zelensky, he had agreed that he is ready to go back to the negotiation table with no conditions, except that he still stated that he would want the negotiations to happen at a neutral venue, which I think is a fair request.”
Wadephul reiterated Germany’s firm support for Ukraine, noting that the European Union had agreed on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia.
“The 21st package of sanctions; which like all of the other packages has only one goal, to reduce Russia’s ability to finance its war so that they finally realise that the time has come to end this war and to engage in serious negotiations without preconditions,” Wadephul said.
“We stand firmly with the people in Ukraine who are longing and fighting for peace and freedom.”
The ministers also discussed the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Sudan, which Lamola described as “one of those very catastrophic conflicts with the highest level of humanitarian disaster that the world has ever experienced.”
South Africa, currently serving on the African Union Peace and Security Council, continues to support AU-led efforts to secure a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
“We call for a ceasefire and also for humanitarian access,” Lamola said.
Wadephul noted that Germany had hosted the Sudan Conference in Berlin in April 2026, bringing together 60 countries, representatives of over 50 non-governmental organisations and international organisations, as well as Sudanese civil-society actors.
“I’m very concerned that this conflict is being overlooked and is being forgotten, turned a blind eye to because of other major conflicts like the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. We cannot allow this to happen. We owe the people who are suffering there our attention,” Wadephul said.
Lamola addressed South Africa’s exclusion from the upcoming G20 Summit to be hosted by the United States in Florida, emphasising the country’s founding member status.
“We have raised the fact that we are a founding member of the G20. We are not an invitee and no country can decide on its own to dis-invite a founding member of the G20,” Lamola said.
He noted that the United States had voluntarily declined to attend the G20 Summit in South Africa in 2025, while South Africa had extended an invitation and conducted the necessary handover.
“South Africa remains available to attend the G20,” Lamola said. “This is the question we ask to all members of the G20 who will be going to Florida; that this matter should be put on the table. There must be a discussion. What nature of the forum will it be without one of the founding members who did not voluntarily not attend?”
Wadephul reaffirmed Germany’s support for South Africa’s participation.
“We will continue to coordinate closely and this is true for G20 as well. And surely we stand ready to make sure that the voice of South Africa is being heard within the G20 and we want to make sure that this interruption will not be persistent but that South Africa returns as a full member to the framework of the G20.”
Asked about the US-Saudi Arabia civilian nuclear cooperation agreement announced overnight, Lamola said South Africa was still studying its contents.
“We can only underscore that South Africa is one of the countries in the world, if not a few, that voluntarily abandoned its own nuclear warheads program. So we only believe in the use of nuclear for peaceful use only like we do for energy and so forth,” Lamola said.
Wadephul noted that every state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons has the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, while also being required to comply with treaty obligations.
“It is for us a foremost priority that the IAEA can take on their verification tasks under the non-proliferation treaty and the comprehensive safeguard agreements,” he said.
He added that the US president had mentioned conditions for the announcement, and that “in the next few days, we need to take a very close look at what he is planning and what specific measure he wants to take.”
Addressing Germany’s failure to secure a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council in June, where Portugal secured 134 votes and Austria 131 while Germany received only 104, Wadephul offered a measured assessment.
“We have always said that there were manifold reasons for us to lose the bid candidacy. Probably one reason is that we started advocating for our bid too late. Our friends, our partners in Europe started much earlier,” he said.
He acknowledged that Germany’s position on Ukraine likely caused problems, and that Russia may have approached states to urge them not to vote for Germany. He also conceded that Germany’s position on Israel may have cost votes.
“But Germany is the country and this government has to bear responsibility. Responsibility for the Shoa, for the Holocaust. German hands killed millions of Jews in an industrial fashion. That was a historic terrible, terrible crime. And that from this arises special responsibility of all federal governments,” Wadephul said.
“This is why we might have a position that others might not share. And it could be that this position has cost us votes.”
Lamola also addressed recent migration-related challenges following his engagement with Ghanaian authorities, emphasising that every sovereign country has the right to enforce its immigration laws in an orderly and lawful manner.
“Immigration must be regular, must be orderly in line with the protocols of the AU, of our own SADC. It will not be a disorder immigration,” Lamola said.
He stressed that even when dealing with irregular migration, it must be handled humanely and not through citizens taking the law into their own hands; a practice he condemned.
“We do not promote any private citizen taking the law into their own hands. And we call for law enforcement agencies to arrest any perpetrator who takes the law into their own hands,” Lamola said.
He cited recent arrests, including five suspects in Limpopo who allegedly threatened a Nigerian business owner despite Home Affairs confirming his documents were valid, and 69 arrests in Jeffrey’s Bay for looting.
“So there is action that the South African Police Service is taking against the perpetrators of taking the law into their own hands. I repeat that the enforcement of migration and regular migration should be left to the authorities,” Lamola said.
The press conference concluded with Lamola thanking Ambassador Andreas Peschke, who is finishing his duties as Germany’s Ambassador to South Africa at the end of this month (July), for his service and integration into South African culture.
