Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit South Africa for the first time this Thursday, April 24. The occasion is a working visit with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria, aimed at strengthening ties between the two nations. Yet some say a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine will likely be a major topic.

"I'm absolutely certain it will be part of the agenda," says Dr. Oscar van Heerden, research associate at the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Diplomacy and Leadership.  

"I think the South African government doesn't want to raise expectations…and certainly doesn't want to outline their true intentions," van Heerden told DW. In June 2023, Ramaphosa led an African peace mission to Ukraine and met with Zelenskyy and others, as well as with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

"So there is some interest, and I'm certain at some point during the working visit, Ramaphosa and Zelenskyy are going to find time to reflect on that."

Peace deal on the cards?

The delegation of African heads of state traveled to Ukraine and Russia with the hope of facilitating a peace deal between the two countries. While the talks didn't yield immediate results, Ukraine has since committed to improving relations with African nations by sharing technological and military experience. Ukraine also pledged to open 10 additional embassies in African countries. 

South Africa is a member of the BRICS group of countries, named after the initials of its founding nations, Brazil, Russia, IndIndia China and South Africa. Through this membership, South Africa has a unique type of access to Russia that could be beneficial in peace talks.

Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party has close ties with Russia that predate the war in Ukraine. The South African leader has created controversy with his coalition partners from the Democratic Alliance (DA) due to his warm relationship with President Putin.

Yet for this reason, Van Heerden can imagine South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as a mediator. "Because South Africa is part of an alliance structure like BRICS, and because South Africa has friendly relations with the Russian Federation, it is better for President Ramaphosa to take matters directly to President Putin and say, 'This is what Zelensky is putting on the table,'" Van Heerden says.  

In recent months, Zelenskyy has met with the United States, the European Union and the United Nations (UN) in the hope of reaching a ceasefire deal with Russia. 

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says at least 12,654 civilians have been killed in the war.  

What role can South Africa play?

Dzvinka Kachur, honorary president of the Ukrainian Association of South Africa (UAZA), believes real peace is still a long way off. 

"Long-lasting peace in Ukraine can only come if Russia stops being an empire and seeking [to have] Ukraine as its colony," she told DW.

Kachur acknowledges that a country like South Africa stands little chance of making that happen, but she sees other ways the country can improve the situation in Ukraine. 

"There is the humanitarian aspect that South Africa can play a more important role in," she said. "South Africa can mediate the return of Ukrainian children who were forcefully deported, or help to stop torture in the Russian-occupied nuclear power station in Zaporizhzhia." She also listed helping return civilian prisoners of war and journalists as other ways South Africa can contribute.

Kachur added that since the start of the war, Ukraine has, like many developing countries, come to doubt the ability of the United Nations Security Council to stop wars. African and South American countries have long felt the global governance system is imbalanced and that a more inclusive UN Security Council is needed, among other reforms.

"We can see that this international system is not working, and this is something that African countries have been saying for a while," continues Kachur. "Russia invaded Ukraine while presiding over the UN Security Council, and the council was completely blocked." The Ukrainian Association of South Africa will meet with President Zelenskyy during his visit to Pretoria this week.

South Africa wants to change global governance

South Africa has put overhauling global governance on its G20 presidency agenda — a position it holds until November 2025. Speaking at the UN General Assembly in March, South Africa's director-general for International Relations and Cooperation, Zane Dangor, stated that the country is championing the reform of global governance structures.  

"We need to strengthen the multilateral system and enhance international cooperation to solve the complex challenges facing the world," Dangor said, adding that the erosion of multilateralism presents a threat to global growth and stability.

"Principles of the UN Charter, including international law, international humanitarian law and human rights, should be at the center of discussions on the global geopolitical situation," he pointed out. After all, Dangor continued, the world today is "a different place compared to what it was in 1945 when the UN was established."

Edited by: Sarah Hucal