By Staff Reporter
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been conferred an Honorary Doctorate in International Relations by the prestigious University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The university bestowed the honour in recognition of President Ramaphosa’s exceptional leadership, his contributions to international relations, and his commitment to global development.
He is only the second South African to receive this distinction, following the late former President Nelson Mandela.
Delivering a public lecture titled “South–South Diplomacy in the 21st Century: Malaysia and South Africa,” Ramaphosa said the award was a tribute to the South African people’s enduring struggle for democracy and freedom.
“This honour, in the form of an Honorary Doctorate in International Relations, is being conferred at a time of great turbulence and uncertainty in the world,” he said.
“It recognises the principles and values that we have sought to advance in global affairs.”
Reflecting on the historic ties between South Africa and Malaysia, Ramaphosa highlighted the Malay-Indonesian heritage that shaped early South African society.
“Today, we pay tribute to the rulers and peoples of the Malay-Indonesian archipelago, whose exiles, workers, and scholars helped build the South African nation,” he said.
“The earliest recorded arrivals from that region were mostly enslaved people, brought against their will to provide labour to the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope.”
Malaysia also stood in solidarity with South African freedom fighters in the struggle against apartheid.
“It is a source of great pride to us that the ties between Malaysia and South Africa have endured. Since the time of the early Cape Malay community, through the anti-apartheid struggle and into our democracy, our destinies have been intertwined.
“Our shared history may not have been of our making, but it has evolved into a principled solidarity. When we were liberated from apartheid bondage, Malaysia was at our side. When President Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, [then] Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed was one of the first foreign leaders he met with,” he said.
Ramaphosa also called for the deepening of friendship between South Africa and Malaysia.
“I receive this honorary doctorate with gratitude from the Universiti Malaya, an institution with a rich and proud history. I accept it on behalf of your brothers and sisters in South Africa, who owe the people of Malaysia and its noble leaders a great debt. Thank you for standing with us in our quest for dignity and justice,” he said.
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