Volodymyr Zelensky’s Visit To Happen on Thursday, South Africans Not Excited

• The president of Ukraine is expected to land in South Africa on 24 April 2025 for his state visit
• This was after President Cyril Ramaphosa invited him to the country to discuss peace talks in the wake of Ukraine's continued conflict against Russia
• South Africans discussed the possibility that the MK Party is planning to disrupt the visit with protests

Tebogo Mokwena, an experienced Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed political and traditional leadership coverage to Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for seven years in South Africa.

JOHANNESBURG — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit is expected to go as planned despite the MK Party's intention to protest his visit.

Presidency confirms Zelenskyy's visit

According to The South African, the presidency confirmed that Zelenskyy's visit is still continuing as planned. However, the official agenda has not been publicised, and this may be because the MK Party announced its intention to protest his visit. The Presidency's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, confirmed that the visit is a continuation of ongoing efforts to find peace between Russia and Ukraine.

The two countries have been locked in combat since Russia announced its full-scale invasion of the Eastern European country. Despite multiple attempts from global leaders to broker peace, the war continues. South Africa was part of a delegation of African countries in 2023 that met with Zelenskyy to present their plan to bring an end to the conflict.

MK Party's planned protest

However, the MK Party planned to disrupt the visit. In a press briefing where the party updated the nation about the outcomes of its recent National High Command, Secretary-General Floyd Shivambu slammed Zelenskyy. He called Zelenskyy a puppet of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. He said the visit violates South Africa's historical position of anti-imperialism and non-alignment.

What did South Africans say?

Netizens commenting on The South African's Facebook account discussed the visit and the MK Party's plans to disrupt it.

Lyn Room said:

"Zelenskyy is a great man and a leader, unlike the MK Party."

Tebogo Maake said:

"This one must come to South Africa. His reasons are for wheat and agriculture."

Samuel Theledi said:

"He can come. Putin knows very well that the ANC doesn't support an American puppet like Zelenskyy."

Ronnie Matsikitlane said:

"Point of correction: He is not visiting us South Africans. He's visiting Ramaphosa and his friends."

Wandise Kingsley Baninzi said:

"President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin must cone to South Africa uninvited."

Vikter Dlamini said:

"We don't have money or weapons to offer., the only thing is to stop trying to expand NATO to Russian borders and save lives."

Maluleke Bongani Simon said:

"There are many things that we can protest for, like water, healthcare services, corruption. Imagine protesting because the Ukraine president, Zelenskyy, is coming to South Africa."

What you need to know about Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy rose to prominence on a strong anti-corruption platform that resonated with the public, bolstered by his large online following, which helped secure a broad electoral base. In the 2019 presidential election, he achieved a landslide victory against Petro Poroshenko, winning 73% of the vote in the second round.

Zelenskyy’s leadership during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine later earned him widespread international praise. Just days after his election, he was confronted with his first major foreign policy challenge when Vladimir Putin announced plans to issue Russian passports to residents in separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine.

By the time Zelenskyy took office, the Russian-backed hybrid war in eastern Ukraine had entered its fifth year, displacing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. In response to Putin’s offer of Russian passports to residents in separatist-held areas, Zelenskyy hit back with a sharp Facebook post, mocking the move and offering Ukrainian citizenship to Russians.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy clashes with Donald Trump and JSD Vance

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Zelenskyy got into a heated exchange with United States president Donald Trump and deputy president JD Vance. The exchange happened on live TV.

Zelenskyy was at the White House to discuss a peace deal with Russia. Trump said diplomacy was necessary to end the war. When Zelenskyy asked what sort of diplomacy, Vance slammed him.

Source: Briefly News