Indonesia and South Africa have vowed to intensify their advocacy for the Global South by deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation across various sectors, with both leaders underscoring their nations’ natural partnership during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to Jakarta on Wednesday. 

Jakarta and Johannesburg share a long history of joint struggle against injustice, the leaders said, asserting that even stronger cooperation is needed to navigate today’s uncertain geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape. 

Holding this year’s Group of Twenty (G20) presidency, Ramaphosa described his visit as a “very important” diplomatic agenda for South Africa. He arrived at Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base on Wednesday morning, accompanied by a high-level delegation of ministers overseeing diplomacy, defense, agriculture, trade and investment. 

Ramaphosa was welcomed by Trade Minister Budi Santoso before receiving a ceremonial welcome at the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta, where he was hosted for lunch by his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto. 

In their opening remarks, Prabowo welcomed Ramaphosa’s visit and expressed his admiration for South Africa’s “struggle for freedom and democracy”, affirming his commitment to strengthening ties between the two “big countries of the South”. 

“We joined BRICS, and we want to see a closer relationship [as] we consider South Africa to be a strategic partner in Africa. You are a great leader in Africa, and I think Africa is the future with a rising economy,” Prabowo said.

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