[Image: Facebook / South Africa Government]
European Union leaders just rolled out a hefty €4.7 billion (R92,6 billion) investment package in South Africa on Thursday, making a power move while both sides are dealing with their worst relations with the US in decades.
The visit was all about reinforcing ties with Africa’s economic heavyweight—perfect timing, too, with South Africa currently leading the G20, a role Washington has mostly ignored.
Tensions with the US have hit rock bottom. The Trump administration just declared Pretoria’s ambassador to Washington persona non grata and ordered him out, a move President Cyril Ramaphosa called “regrettable.” Analysts say the expulsion is payback for South Africa’s hard stance on Palestine, which has already put it at odds with Washington over its genocide case against Israel at the World Court.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Russia-friendly pivot in the Ukraine war has left Europe scrambling, upending years of US policy since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Back in South Africa, Washington has also slashed aid in protest of the country’s land reform efforts to fix historic injustices.
For the EU, this visit was a shot at damage control after relations cooled when South Africa refused to outright condemn Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took a diplomatic approach, calling South Africa a key global player and a crucial voice for the Global South.
“In a moment of increased confrontation and competition, we must strengthen our partnership further,” she said.
Speaking alongside European Council President Antonio Costa, she told Ramaphosa that Europe wanted to help boost the South African economy—especially in sectors like clean hydrogen, where SA has both raw materials and vast renewable energy potential.
“Europe understands your potential,” she said, sitting alongside European Council President Antonio Costa.
Ramaphosa, in turn, emphasised that South Africa valued European support for multilateralism in a world where nationalism is on the rise.
“African relations with the European Union should be built on a mutually beneficial partnership,” he said.
With the US cutting ties left and right, it might not be all that bad for South Africa and the EU to double down on their own game plan.
[Source: Reuters via Straits Times]
