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Cape Town - South Africa has strong relations with the United Kingdon and the European Union and will continue to deepen relations with these countries, said President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday.
Responding to questions in Parliament, Zuma said the decision of the UK in June this year to leave the EU (also called Brexit) should not influence South Africa’s relations with the UK and the EU.
The ANC’s Bhekizizwe Radebe asked Zuma what economic diplomacy his government plans to exercise, following the UK’s decision to leave the EU, but apart from stating that South Africa would “deepen” its relationship with the two countries, Zuma didn't elaborate on the matter.
In August this year, Parliament’s portfolio committee on international relations were told that South Africa will have to swiftly enter into new bilateral trade discussions with the UK, following Brexit.
At the time, Ambassador Pieter Vermeulen from the department of international relations and cooperation said there was much uncertainty around Brexit and that South Africa should especially watch the UK’s negotiating strategies around its exit from the EU so South Africa will know how to react.
In a follow-up question, the DA’s Michael Cardo asked Zuma to clarify his position following statements he had made to an ANC constituency in Pietermaritzburg the previous week.
“Mr President, you told the audience that South Africa is disliked by western powers and these western powers want to dismantle South Africa because we belong to Brics,” Cardo said. “Could you please name these western powers?”
Zuma chuckled and then said: “If the speaker (Cardo) was listening properly he would have heard me saying that I had forgotten the names of those countries.
“I wanted the ANC members (at the Pietermaritzburg meeting) to understand what is happening. I was discussing the global political landscape as I know it,” Zuma said.
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