Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has faced backlash after announcing a visa-free travel agreement for Ukrainian diplomatic, official, and service passport holders.
Story Summary:
- Minister Leon Schreiber announced a visa-free agreement with Ukraine, later disputed by the president’s office as unauthorised.
- Schreiber described the move as a diplomatic step, while Ramaphosa’s office insists it was premature.
- DA Deputy Spokesperson Ryan Smith supports Schreiber’s stance, calling it a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine.
DA minister Leon Schreiber fumbles ‘Ukraine visa deal’
On Sunday, Schreiber posted the update on X, calling the deal “historic” and positioning Ukraine as a “valued ally” of South Africa.
He noted that President Cyril Ramaphosa was expected to sign the agreement within the week.
However, the announcement was soon disputed by presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, who commented directly on Schreiber’s post, stating:
“The president is yet to sign the minute authorising the minister to sign the agreement with Ukraine.”
According to Magwenya, Schreiber’s announcement was premature as he had not received formal authorisation, leaving questions over the minister’s conduct in signing and publicising the deal.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), of which Schreiber is a member, voiced its support for the minister’s position.
DA deputy spokesperson on International Relations Ryan Smith expressed the party’s enthusiasm over the announcement, describing the proposed visa-free access as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine, whose support of South African activists during apartheid, he said, has long been underappreciated.
Smith added that the agreement would place South Africa on the “right side of history” by backing Ukraine’s sovereignty amidst ongoing tensions with Russia.
The situation comes amid escalating tensions within the Government of National Unity (GNU) over South Africa’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Schreiber’s announcement casts a spotlight on a growing divide within the GNU, which has previously seen the DA condemning Ramaphosa’s pro-Russian rhetoric.
Last week, DA Leader John Steenhuisen criticised Ramaphosa’s “valued ally” reference to Russia, contrasting it with Schreiber’s Ukraine initiative as “a crucial move” toward democratic solidarity.
This misstep by Schreiber is another indication of the ongoing divisions within South Africa’s government over international alliances, as the president’s office insists on formal protocol adherence, even while the DA defends Schreiber’s actions as necessary for principled diplomacy.