South African President Cyril Ramaphosa concluded a three-day official visit to France on Sunday, holding bilateral talks with President Emmanuel Macron on defence cooperation and attending the 110th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Delville Wood, one of South Africa’s most significant engagements of the First World War.
At the ceremony in Longueval, held at the South African National Memorial, Ramaphosa said the men who fought at Delville Wood had experiences that were not the same and were not treated equally, but insisted their humanity, courage and the grief of their families were equal. He extended that recognition to Black South Africans who served in unarmed roles during the war, including members of the South African Native Labour Corps and the more than 600 men who died when their troopship, the SS Mendi, sank in the English Channel. A UNESCO plaque recognizing the memorial’s historical significance was unveiled during the ceremony, which Ramaphosa attended alongside First Lady Tshepo Motsepe, Defence Minister Angie Motshekga, SANDF Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya and other senior officials.
During his visit, Ramaphosa also engaged with France’s aerospace and defence industry, meeting Airbus Helicopters Chief Executive Matthieu Louvot as part of efforts to attract investment in South Africa’s advanced manufacturing and aerospace sectors. The visit included bilateral discussions with Macron covering energy, trade, science and technology, and regional peace and security issues, building on a relationship the South African presidency described as comprehensive and productive.
The trip also included a stop at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, where Ramaphosa co-chaired a Leaders’ Meeting of the High-Level Steering Committee on Sustainable Development Goal 4, focused on quality education, at the invitation of UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany. According to South African government data, bilateral trade between the two countries grew 7.7% in 2025 to about $2.719 billion, with French companies having invested more than $7 billion in South Africa since 2003, supporting close to 16,000 jobs.
