President Cyril Ramaphosa at the South African National Memorial in Longueval, France, during the 110th Commemoration of the Battle of Delville Wood on 12 July 2026. Carl Niehaus writes that in the video, Ramaphosa is seen shaking hands exclusively with white veterans’ representatives. 'Not a single black veteran or representative of our black African heroes is visible.'
I write this opinion piece with a heavy heart and a deep sense of outrage. As I watched the video circulating widely from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent engagements in France, my blood boiled. Fresh from the solemn 110th Commemoration of the Battle of Delville Wood on July 12, 2026 at the South African National Memorial in Longueval, the President is seen shaking hands exclusively with white South African military veterans’ representatives. There is not a single black face among them. No descendants of the courageous black African soldiers who toiled, suffered, and died in service of our country’s contribution to the First World War. This is not mere optics. It is a profound and unacceptable betrayal that strikes at the core of who we are as a nation.
On that day in Longueval, President Ramaphosa participated in a wreath-laying ceremony and the unveiling of a UNESCO commemorative plaque. The event honoured South Africa’s sacrifices during the Battle of Delville Wood, part of the brutal 1916 Somme offensive. The 1st South African Infantry Brigade, under Brigadier-General Henry Timson Lukin, fought with legendary valour. Ordered to capture and hold the dense wood “at all costs,” these predominantly white volunteers endured six days and five nights of hell. Relentless German artillery, counter-attacks, hand-to-hand fighting, mud, thirst, and exhaustion reduced their ranks dramatically. Of roughly 3,200 men who advanced into the wood starting July 15, 1916, approximately 2,536 became casualties. Only a few hundred emerged when finally relieved. Their stand helped secure key objectives and became a symbol of South African courage, rightly commemorated at the majestic memorial in Longueval where oaks and birches now stand where once there was devastation.
