Away from the media spotlight, the South African government remains actively engaged in a peace mission to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said at a press briefing in parliament, as reported by local media.
The presidency added that since the launch of the African Peace Initiative in June, President Cyril Ramaphosa has had several follow-up meetings and phone calls with the leaders of Moscow and Kiev.
"So while you may not see heads of state traveling to Ukraine and Russia, as you saw when the African Peace Initiative was kicked off, there’s work that is underway," he said as quoted by local media. "There’s ongoing engagement between South Africa and Russia, as well as Ukraine on the issue of grain, for example."
Magwenya said that mediators are still hammering out a peace plan for Russia and Ukraine that calls for a series of confidence-building measures, including the release of prisoners of war.
The South African government is also endeavoring to tackle several conflicts on the continent, including Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the spokesperson added.
South Africa was among seven African countries that proposed to Russia and Ukraine a peace plan initiative. A high-level delegation visited Moscow and Kiev in June to explore a 10-point plan that included security guarantees, freedom to export Black Sea grain, release of prisoners and initiating peace talks.
With regard to the DR Congo, South African troops are involved in peacekeeping operations against the M23 rebel group in the east of the Central African country under the auspices of the UN MONUSCO mission, as well as within the framework of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
In Mozambique, SADC troops have been deployed since July 2021 as a regional response to terrorism and acts of violent extremism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. In August, SADC agreed to extend the mission by another 12 months.