Jacob Zuma defends use of South African flag during Morocco visit

Jacob Zuma has responded to the August 6 statement by South Africa’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which condemned the presence of the «national flag» during the July 15 meeting in Rabat between the head of the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. Speaking to the press on Friday, Zuma asserted that the South African flag belongs to all citizens of the country.

«The South African flag doesn’t belong to the government. Is there anyone who doesn’t know that the flag of any country belongs to the citizens of that country? Is there anyone who doesn’t know that?» he said, in remarks directed at Pretoria’s diplomacy, led by Minister Ronald Lamola, a member of the ANC.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated on Wednesday that "

Government of the Republic of South Africa, it «protests the use of South African national symbols, in this instance the use of the South African National Flag», during the meeting between Bourita and Zuma. The protest echoed an injunction issued a few weeks earlier by the ANC leadership.

The ANC described the presence of the flag in Rabat as «an irresponsible and provocative act» and «a blatant violation of international diplomatic norms» as well as «an unacceptable intrusion into South Africa’s internal political affairs». The party called it «a dangerous attempt to delegitimize our constitutional order and discredit the authority of a democratically elected government».

This dual indignation from the ANC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has raised eyebrows, given that the South African flag was displayed alongside the Algerian flag during a December 2023 meeting in Algiers between the ANC Secretary-General and Salah Goudjil, then-president of Algeria’s upper chamber. The same was true during talks between Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Attaf and the ANC Secretary-General, without any public condemnation from the ANC or President Ramaphosa’s government.

During his visit to Rabat, Jacob Zuma also affirmed Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, a stance at odds with the ANC’s official position.