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President Cyril Ramaphosa
With South Africa chairing the G20, President Cyril Ramaphosa hopes that US President Donald Trump will visit the country to engage him on various issues. That’s what presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told a media briefing in Parliament on Wednesday.
Trump recently threatened to cut funding in a statement on social media over the country’s land expropriation policy.
Magwenya elaborates, “We’re still hoping that President Trump will visit SA ahead of the G20 Summit when we get that final round of Heads of State and it remains President Ramaphosa’s intention to welcome him on a State Visit. We are hoping that there will be time even for a round of golf.”
Ramamaphosa will be in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania, over the weekend for a summit looking at the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
14 SANDF soldiers died in the conflict between M23 rebels and the Congolese army.
Magwenya has also rejected allegations that South African troops deployed in DRC are there to protect business interests.
“To reduce such a long commitment of the attainment of peace in the DRC in our continent to the protection of mining interest is completely devoid of any truth and it lacks the knowledge and appreciation of South Africa’s role in ensuring peacekeeping and ensuring the stability of our continent.”
Magwenya adds that they’ll continue to engage and respond quickly to misinformation and mischaracterisation of the country’s laws.
