The country’s Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Thandi Moraka, made the comments during the opening of the Fifth Ordinary Session of the Sixth Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in Midrand on Monday.
Moraka told delegates that hosting the G20 Summit in November provides SA with a unique chance to amplify African interests on the global stage. She said the focus would be on sustainable development, addressing the debt crisis, fair trade, and tackling climate change.
“We intend to use this platform to push for much-needed reforms in global financial institutions, particularly on how debt is handled,” Moraka said. “We will do this with the support of the AU, especially since this is the first G20 where the AU holds full membership. This gives Africa a stronger voice in setting global priorities.”
The sitting takes place under the AU’s 2025 theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations”. It also comes as African nations face new trade pressures, with the United States preparing to introduce a 30% tariff on some African exports from the start of August.
The President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Chief Fortune Charumbira, called for greater unity across the continent in response to the tariffs. He criticised the penalties, which have also affected South Africa, calling the allegations behind them “false and unfounded”.
“Africa must stand with SA. When one of us is targeted, it is an attack on the whole continent. We must be united in defending our collective interests,” Charumbira said.
Angola’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Professor Miguel César Domingos Bembe, who chairs the AU’s Permanent Representatives Committee, was the guest of honour at the opening. He said the Pan-African Parliament has a key role to play in helping the continent tackle its challenges.
Bembe urged PAP to continue serving as a platform where African voices, including those from the diaspora, are fully represented. He also called for more discussions on reparations and deeper links with global movements fighting for racial justice.
The parliamentary session is expected to focus on ways to strengthen African unity and push back against external economic pressures while promoting development and justice across the continent.
--ChannelAfrica--
