It's not simple, African "BRICS" presidents, BRICS countries, and Africa

Author: Zheng Aotian

South African President Ramaphosa led Foreign Minister Pandor to warmly welcome senior government officials such as Minister, Presidential Office Women, and Youth Minister Zuma by the gangway.The people dressed in ethnic costumes danced wildly.

Ramaphosa, who is over 70 years old, is known on the international stage for his cheerful smile. In the eyes of many South Africans, Ramaphosa, who had personally participated in the fight against apartheid, is "a president worthy of our pride.". From Mandela's "proud disciple" to a business tycoon spanning multiple industries, to his election as South African President in 2018, Ramaphosa's life has always been closely related to South Africa's development and change.

·Ramaphosa took off his mask and laughed heartily during his speech.

Follow "BRICS and Africa"

The 2023 BRICS Summit is the largest summit since the establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism. In addition to the BRICS countries of China, Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa, Ramaphosa also invited leaders from 67 countries and representatives from 20 international organizations to attend. The theme of this summit is "BRICS and Africa: Deepening Partnership, Promoting Mutual Growth, Achieving Sustainable Development, and Strengthening Inclusive Multilateralism.".

"BRICS members will collectively call for a more just, balanced, and controllable world," Ramaphosa said in a speech before the summit. "More than 20 countries have officially applied to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism, and some countries have expressed interest in joining the BRICS family. South Africa supports the expansion of the BRICS community."

·The venue for the 2023 BRICS Summit is located at the Thornton Convention Center in South Africa

"Expansion is an important topic of this year's BRICS summit. As early as last year, BRICS countries had in-depth discussions and preparations on the issue of expansion." Zhong Zhuorui of the China Institute of Modern International Relations stated in an interview with Global People that in recent years, with the increasing influence of emerging market countries, more and more countries have found that the existing international economic order is no longer able to meet their development needs. The BRICS countries are an important international organization representing emerging economies and developing countries.

During the 14th meeting of BRICS leaders, the leaders of the five countries reached important consensus on the issue of BRICS expansion, supporting the discussion of expansion standards and procedures. At present, multiple countries have applied to join the BRICS Cooperation Mechanism, which will become one of the main topics of the 15th BRICS Leaders Meeting to be held in Johannesburg.

The list of countries applying to join the BRICS Cooperation Mechanism includes major African countries such as Algeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Nigeria. Ramaphosa stated that after achieving expansion, the members of the BRICS countries will become more diverse. Although member countries have different political systems, their vision of establishing a "more balanced international order" is the same.

"As an important member of the BRICS countries, South Africa has always played the role of a communicator between member countries and is the 'adhesive' of the BRICS organization." Zhong Zhuorui said, "Ramaphosa has always been very concerned about the relationship between the BRICS countries and Africa, hoping to encourage more African countries to join the BRICS countries and further promote South Africa's diplomatic influence."

Since joining the BRICS Cooperation Mechanism in 2011, the investment of BRICS countries in South Africa has significantly increased. The BRICS Development Bank has also provided sufficient funding for South Africa's infrastructure construction and economic transformation, injecting new impetus into South Africa's economic growth.

·Ramaphosa delivered a speech at the 2018 BRICS Summit.

Zhong Zhuorui believes that in addition to the highlight of expanding its membership, the cooperation among countries in financial payments, global governance, sustainable development, and climate issues is also worth paying attention to at this BRICS summit. The significance of this BRICS summit is not only to further expand the scale of BRICS countries, but also to demonstrate their ability to promote global joint action on important issues. This is crucial for addressing the common challenges currently facing humanity.

Formerly a union leader

As a national leader, Ramaphosa is both idealistic and capable of execution, with a rich and colorful life experience.

In 1952, Ramaphosa was born in the small town of Soweto near the capital of South Africa, Johannesburg. In South Africa, a system of racial segregation was implemented, and Soweto was a "slum" inhabited by black people. Despite the hardships and difficulties of life, black people still establish a vibrant community here and begin the struggle against racial segregation.

Ramaphosa's father is a police officer. In the eyes of Ramaphosa, his father's role as a police officer was completely forced by his livelihood. "Deep down, my father knows what is right and what is wrong. He often says that people like Nelson Mandela are leaders of the country."

Zhong Zhuorui said that Ramaphosa's parents attach great importance to education, which gives him the opportunity to enter university and accept progressive ideas. In 1972, Ramaphosa was admitted to the Law School of Limpopo University in South Africa and participated in the anti apartheid movement at the university. In 1974, he was arrested by the racist regime in South Africa and detained for 11 months for participating in the independence movement for neighboring Mozambique.

·A group photo of young Lama Fosa and his classmates.

That imprisonment did not make Ramaphosa submit, but instead prompted him to actively participate in the fight against racial segregation. In 1976, in protest against the unfair education policies of the white South African regime, the people of Soweto went on strike. The authorities carried out violent repression on the people, ultimately resulting in nearly 700 deaths, and Ramaphosa was arrested again for participating in the parade.

In protest against the atrocities committed by the racist regime in South Africa, Ramaphosa's father officially resigned from his police position with the support of his family.

The experience of being imprisoned twice gave Ramaphosa a deeper reflection on South Africa's apartheid system. "After being released, I began to examine South African society as a whole and gradually saw the future of South Africa," Ramaphosa said in an interview. "Even if we were liberated, we had to live with the oppressors of the past. We must find a point of reconciliation."

After graduating from university, Ramaphosa gave up the opportunity to work in a big city and returned to his hometown to establish the National Union of Miners in South Africa. "In my eyes, coal mines represent the ultimate humiliation and exploitation of human personality. I want to know this experience. If necessary, do something."

In the process of participating in the workers' movement, Ramaphosa began to accept and develop the entry of white workers into unions, believing that they, like black workers, were oppressed. "They were just being used, and they should also know that they were being used." Ramaphosa's experience in the labor movement showed him the power of workers and made him start imagining how to build a "new South Africa without racial barriers.

·In 1988, Ramaphosa led the National Union of Miners in South Africa.

During his tenure as union leader, Ramaphosa demonstrated outstanding negotiation and leadership skills. In 1987, at the age of only 34, he led a nationwide strike involving 300000 miners, forcing multiple mining companies in South Africa to increase worker pay.

The leadership strike made Ramaphosa famous in South Africa and caught Mandela's attention.

Mandela's "high feet"

At the end of 1989, Ramaphosa first met Mandela. Mandela, who was still in prison at the time, had a great impression of this energetic young man and praised him as "one of the most talented new generation leaders."

On February 11, 1990, Mandela, who had been imprisoned for 27 years, was released from prison. Accompanied by Ramaphosa, Mandela delivered his first speech after being released from prison at the City Hall in Cape Town.

In Ramaphosa's life, Mandela was both an excellent leader and his mentor and friend. For many years in politics, he has regarded himself as a student of Mandela. In a speech, Ramaphosa stated that Mandela's ideas guide him, "Our shared memory of Mandela encourages us to move towards a new dawn."

In 1991, 39 year old Ramaphosa was elected as the General Secretary of the African National Assembly. In 1994, he became the President of the South African Constituent Assembly, responsible for formulating South Africa's first constitution after the end of apartheid.

·Ramaphosa held up a microphone for Mandela during his speech.

This is a daunting task. Although racial segregation has become history, there is still a serious lack of trust between black and white people in South Africa, and violent incidents occur frequently. Ramaphosa must find a reconciliation point in South Africa with his former opponents.

Ramaphosa, who came from a lawyer's background, demonstrated his outstanding negotiation skills. Scholars have suggested that Ramaphosa's negotiation style is "building trust through debate.". His negotiating opponent, Rover Meyer, who represented the South African Nationalist Party in the negotiations, also said, "Ramaphosa is a very rational person who can understand the root cause behind the conditions proposed by the other party."

In order to reduce the gunpowder smell of negotiations, Ramaphosa once asked his colleagues to invite Mayer to go fishing together. The two of them sorted out their fishing hooks and exchanged ideas. This gradually gained Meyer's trust in Ramaphosa.

With the joint efforts of Ramaphosa and Meyer, on May 8, 1996, the new constitution of South Africa was passed in parliament with 86% support. The new constitution guarantees the rights of different social groups in South Africa, receives widespread support from all sectors of South Africa, and lays the foundation for the future social development of South Africa.

·In 1995, a group photo of Ramaphosa and Meyer.

However, almost a month before the new constitution was passed, Ramaphosa announced his withdrawal from politics and opened another chapter in his life.

From executives to presidents

Zhong Zhuorui said that Mandela, who was then president, was already considering the issue of a successor and had intended to invite Ramaphosa to serve as his deputy. But considering his limited qualifications and the need for economic talent in South Africa, it was ultimately decided to let him enter the business world to gain some experience.

In April 1996, Mandela announced that Ramaphosa would resign as General Secretary of the African National Assembly and become a senior executive at New Africa Investment Limited. Some media reports suggest that despite his personal aspirations in politics, Ramaphosa is still fully committed to his new position.

In 2001, Ramaphosa founded South Africa's first black controlled investment company, Sanduka Group, which entered the fields of mining, mobile telecommunications, and chain catering. In 2004, he founded the Sanduka Foundation to provide funding for small and medium-sized enterprises and the education sector.

A former executive of Sanduka Group stated that as a senior executive, Ramaphosa is full of enthusiasm and encourages the company to invest funds in the education sector and support projects for low-income groups.

·A photo of Ramaphosa with a young entrepreneur from South Africa.

In 2012, Ramaphosa returned to politics. In 2014, he sold all his shares in the Sanduka Group and became the deputy to then President Zuma, serving as Vice President and Chairman of the National Planning Commission. This year, the total assets of Sanduka Group were close to 600 million US dollars.

Zhong Zhuorui said that during his tenure as Vice President, Ramaphosa actively promoted the reform of South African state-owned enterprises, which enabled many state-owned enterprises to turn losses into profits. He also formulated the 2030 National Development Plan, aimed at eradicating poverty and reducing economic inequality. These economic achievements earned him the trust of voters, with a support rate of over 70% at one point.

In 2018, Ramaphosa was elected as the President of South Africa. Zhong Zhuorui said that after taking office, Ramaphosa held the South African Investment Conference for five consecutive years, attracting billions of dollars in investment to the South African economy and effectively reducing South Africa's unemployment and inflation rates. At the same time, he actively develops emerging industries in South Africa and promotes the landing of 5G and new energy technologies in the South African market.

The spirit of "Ubantu"

In terms of economy, Ramaphosa attaches great importance to learning from the "Chinese experience". As early as 2009, he led the first National Executive Committee Training Class of the African National University to China to "learn from experience".

In December 2015, South Africa became the first African country to sign the "the Belt and Road" Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding with China. Ramafosa has expressed support for the "the Belt and Road" on many occasions, saying that South Africa is willing to learn from China's experience in green development and energy transformation, actively participate in the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", and open the door to welcome Chinese enterprises to invest and cooperate in South Africa.

·The New Development Bank of the BRICS participates in the construction of Durban Port in South Africa.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa, as well as the BRICS "South Africa Year". At present, strategic mutual trust between China and South Africa has reached a new height, economic and trade cooperation has entered a fast lane, and the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and South Africa is constantly moving towards higher quality, wider areas, and deeper levels.

China has remained the largest trading partner of South Africa for 14 consecutive years, and South Africa has become China's largest trading partner in Africa for 13 consecutive years. As of the end of June 2023, China's stock of various investments in South Africa is approximately $10 billion, creating over 400000 job opportunities for the region. The two countries are actively expanding practical cooperation in fields such as 5G, digital economy, high-tech, e-commerce, smart cities, and clean energy.

In a speech on the eve of the BRICS summit, Ramaphosa stated, "Striving for a peaceful world, ending conflicts in the world, and establishing true human friendship that transcends national borders is an ideal that Mandela has always upheld." He called on all South Africans to showcase the spirit of "Ubantu" to the guests attending the summit.

·In 2018, Ramaphosa presented the Ubantu Award to outstanding talents in South Africa.

The original meaning of "Ubantu" is "I am here because we are here, so I am here". It is a term used by locals to describe human nature or virtues, often used to express "willingness to share, generosity and enthusiasm". Ramaphosa has emphasized the spirit of unity and sharing in many occasions, and the reality of China South relations can also be regarded as an example of the spirit of the "Ubantu".

The all-round mutually beneficial cooperation between China and South Africa has shown strong vitality and resilience, and has yielded fruitful results. It has become a successful example of the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" initiative to link Africa's development and promote South South cooperation.