By Gabriel Ani
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (XOL Africa) — German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called Friday for permanent African representation on the United Nations Security Council and urged stronger cooperation between Europe and Africa, saying global challenges require partnerships that reflect the realities of today’s world.
Speaking at the South African Institute of International Affairs at the University of the Witwatersrand, Wadephul said Germany and South Africa had developed a strategic partnership built on economic ties, political cooperation and a shared commitment to multilateralism.
“There can be no genuinely representative United Nations without permanent African representation on the Security Council,” Wadephul said.
He also defended South Africa’s role in global affairs, pointing to the country’s membership in the Group of 20 major economies and its efforts to mediate international conflicts.
“To exclude South Africa means sidelining an important African voice and a regional economic and political powerhouse,” he said.
Wadephul said the relationship between Germany and South Africa had been strengthened by the two countries’ recent decision to elevate their ties to a strategic partnership. He said more than 600 German companies operate in South Africa, employing more than 100,000 people, while annual trade between the two countries has reached 20.1 billion euros ($23.6 billion).
The two countries have also adopted a Joint Action Plan containing more than 90 measures aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation, he said.
Wadephul acknowledged Germany’s complicated history with South Africa during apartheid, noting that while German civil society supported the anti-apartheid struggle, German companies maintained business ties with the apartheid regime and West German governments kept close relations with the country.
“Nelson Mandela knew this. And yet, he extended his hand in reconciliation,” Wadephul said.
He said Mandela’s decision to build a relationship with Germany that was not dominated by the past had laid the foundation for more than three decades of bilateral friendship.
The German minister also praised South Africa’s diplomatic efforts over the war in Ukraine, recalling President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2023 visit to Ukraine with a delegation of African leaders.
“I believe that this historical initiative never received the recognition it deserves even beyond its symbolic value: African leaders travelling to Europe in an effort to help restore peace,” Wadephul said.
He said South Africa’s experience in mediation and peace processes offered lessons for Europe and argued that African countries should have a greater role in addressing global conflicts.
On Sudan, Wadephul said Germany, together with the African Union and the United Nations, had brought 60 countries and representatives of more than 50 nongovernmental and international organizations together at a conference in Berlin earlier this year.
“Sudan is suffering from the biggest man-made humanitarian catastrophe of our time,” he said, adding that the international community had a duty to continue working toward peace.
Wadephul also criticized the current structure of the United Nations, saying the organization no longer fully reflects the geopolitical realities of the modern world.
“Too often, it still represents a global order of the past and not of the present,” he said.
He said South Africa and Germany would not always agree on every foreign policy issue but could maintain cooperation while respecting each other’s national interests and political perspectives.
“In some disputed matters we can agree to disagree. And at the same time keep on working together,” Wadephul said.
Drawing on the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu, Wadephul said international partnerships should be guided by mutual respect and an understanding of shared interests.
“I am because we are!” he said, invoking the philosophy’s emphasis on human interconnectedness.
Wadephul said national interests and international responsibility were not contradictory, arguing that countries benefit when conflicts are resolved peacefully, forced displacement is reduced and partners become more prosperous and resilient.
“National interests and international responsibility are not mutually exclusive,” he said.
“On the contrary, in most cases they reinforce one another.”
