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The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation today received a briefing from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation on institutional reform at the African Union’s (AU), the areas affected and South Africa’s role in the process.
 
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Supra Mahumapelo, noted that due to the Minister of International Relations’ busy schedule and a prior committee resolution, the Minister should account to the committee in person once a quarter and attend at least one in-person or virtual meeting a month to discuss international political developments.
 
The committee noted that its meetings have been attended by the department’s deputy ministers, Ms Thandi Moraka and Mr Alvin Botes. The department therefore undertook to submit the Minister’s annual calendar of engagements for the committee’s consideration at its next meeting.
 
In today’s meeting, the committee heard that the AU Peace Fund was established in June 1993 to finance peace and security activities and South Africa contributes 0.2% of its import levy to the financial sustainability of the African Union. This is in line with a decision taken in 2016; currently 25 member states are implementing this decision.
 
Furthermore, article 21 of the protocol relating to the establishment of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) provides for the legal establishment of a fund to provide the necessary financial resources for peace support missions and other operational activities relating to peace and security in Africa. Article 3 of the PSC Protocol states that the fund will finance the AU’s operational peace and security activities.
 
The committee asked the department to provide a presentation on the value of South Africa’s financial contribution to the African Union and other international bodies, particularly as some African countries do not support South Africa in elections to serve on international bodies.
 
Mr Mahumapelo also mentioned the current negative perceptions about South Africa internationally, which is having an adverse effect on South Africa’s investment potential. He asked the department to provide weekly briefings on the impact South African envoys and Inter-Ministerial Committees are having on improving these perceptions.
 
He also mentioned incidents of unrest, saying that in fact it is more a case of illegal migration and social cohesion that needs to be addressed. The Chairperson called upon all members of the committee and the public in general not to use the word xenophobia because the matter that is being dealt with in South Africa is on migration challenges. The Chairperson went further to say that the narrative of South Africa being xenophobic is a political agenda aimed at convincing the rest of the world that South Africa is not a suitable country to work with politically and economically as a result projecting South Africa as a pariah state.
 
He therefore welcomed the department’s participation in the forthcoming Migration and Social Cohesion Symposium, in collaboration with the International Organisation for Immigration Office and Witwatersrand University (Wits) which is set to take place on 26 June 2026 at Wits School of Governance.
 
The committee also asked the department to prepare a progress report on the construction of the Pan African Parliament in Midrand, to be presented to the committee.

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the chairperson of the portfolio committee on International Relations and Cooperation, Supra Mahumapelo