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Tag: Ramaphosa

  • Ramaphosa’s envoy arrive Nigeria, apologies to Buhari over xenophobic attack on Nigerians

    Ramaphosa’s envoy arrive Nigeria, apologies to Buhari over xenophobic attack on Nigerians

    South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday apologised to President Muhammadu Buhari over xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

    Many Nigerians had lost their lives and properties due to the increasing xenophobic attacks in the country.

    Three special envoys arrived the forecourt of the Presidential Villa, Abuja around 2.13 pm in company with Acting South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Bobby Monroe to deliver President Ramaphosa’s apology to President Buhari during a closed door meeting in Aso Rock.

    One of the special envoy, Jeff Radebe briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.

    The envoys are in Abuja over the increasing xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other Africans living in South Africa.

    Apart from many Nigerians losing their lives in the country due the attacks, the first batch of 189 Nigerians returned to Nigeria from South Africa last week Wednesday.

    Many more Nigerians are being expected back to the country on Tuesday.

    Due to the continued attacks, many Nigerians have been expecting the Nigerian government to take far reaching decisions over the matter.

    But to ward off diplomatic row over the matter, Ramaphosa had dispatched three special envoys to Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, to deliver messages of pan-African unity and solidarity.

    The envoys are expected to deliver messages on the violence that erupted in some parts of South Africa resulting in attacks on foreign nationals and destruction of properties.

     

  • Ramaphosa sends envoys to African countries over xenophobic attacks

    President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has dispatched three special envoys to seven African countries to deliver messages of pan-African unity and solidarity following xenophobic attacks in South Africa, the Presidency said on Sunday.

    The special envoys will deliver a message from Ramaphosa regarding the incidents of violence that recently erupted in some parts of South Africa, which have manifested in attacks on foreign nationals and destruction of property, presidential spokesperson, Khusela Diko, said.

    The envoys will reassure fellow African countries that South Africa is committed to the ideals of pan-African unity and solidarity, Diko said.

    They will also reaffirm South Africa’s commitment to the rule of law.

    The envoys will visit Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, according to Diko.

    They will brief governments in the identified African countries about the steps that the South African government is taking to bring a stop to the attacks and to hold the perpetrators to account.

    South Africa has been hit by a new spate of violence for the past few weeks.

    At least 12 people, including 10 South Africans and two foreigners, have been killed.

    South Africa is host to some 274,000 refugees and asylum-seekers from African countries, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

    Xenophobia-related attacks are common in South Africa, where foreigners are blamed for taking up employment that should have been taken by locals.

  • JUST IN: [Xenophobia] Buhari’s Special Envoy Departs Abuja for Talks with Ramaphosa

    JUST IN: [Xenophobia] Buhari’s Special Envoy Departs Abuja for Talks with Ramaphosa

    From Jonas Ike, Abuja

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday confirmed that following recent unfortunate xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, President Muhammadu Buhari has dispatched a Special Envoy who is on his way to South Africa.
    The Special Envoy will be received on arrival by the High Commissioner of Nigeria to South Africa together with the Consul General and they will proceed for crucial meetings with high-level South African officials on all aspects of the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians.
    The Special Envoy and the High Commissioner will provide President Muhammadu Buhari with a comprehensive briefing on the situation in South Africa and on the outcome of their meetings.
    The Spokesman of the Ministry Ferdinand Nwonye in a release also informed that Mission in South Africa has authoritatively informed that no Nigerian life was lost during the latest crisis. The general public should therefore disregard social media clips claiming otherwise
  • Xenophobia: Ramaphosa visits Buhari, reveals why Nigerians are attacked, killed in South Africa

    Xenophobia: Ramaphosa visits Buhari, reveals why Nigerians are attacked, killed in South Africa

    …says South Africa will be safe again

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday received his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Buhari led some top government officials to receive the South African President at the forecourt of his office at 3 pm after presiding over the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council.

    The two leaders thereafter went into a closed-door meeting.

    The meeting came amid increasing cases of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

    The South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa however said his government was not in support of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other countries.

    Ramaphosa said this while speaking at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Afreximbank in Abuja.

    He said one of the major reasons he chose to visit Nigeria first upon his assumption of office was to improve relations between both countries.

    There have been several of such attacks on non South Africans, including Nigerians, and their businesses in the last couple of years.

    According to Ramaphosa, South Africans have been exposed to unsafe environment, criminality and a number of other challenges.

    “And we have also had a huge problem of unemployment and people tended to react in a way where they want to safeguard their own interest and expressed their fears and concerns through xenophobic action on other people.

    “Our government has been very clear and strong on this, we will not support anyone who seeks to attack anybody on the basis of their race, their origin or the way they look and we are very clear on that.

    “In terms of safety and security, security institutions are now taking serious actions against people who result in criminalities.

    “They are making good strides, they are catching the criminals and we trying to turn South Africa into a safe environment,’’ the president said.

    He pledged South Africa’s commitment to support Nigeria in its developmental pursuit.

    He said: “Nigeria supported us in our days of struggle and we are ready and willing to also support Nigeria as you continue to develop your own country.

    “The two countries are joined whether we like it or not and we better make use of this opportunity that we have to improve the relations between us.”

    On the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA), Ramaphosa said the South African government was looking forward to the agreement as it had great benefits for the country.

    He said the free trade agreement would enhance the growth of economies of a number of countries especially those in conflict.

    He said: “Part of this free trade agreement will not only resolve the movement of goods but also the movement of people, as goods can move on their own; and soon we will have our own African DHL.”

     

     

  • All you need to know about Zuma’s succesor, Ramaphosa

    South Africa has a new president – Cyril Ramaphosa, following the resignation of Jacob Zuma on Wednesday amidst corruption charges. Ramaphosa, who is the president of the African National Congress (ANC), took over as the President of South Africa following a parliamentary approval.

    Background

    Ramaphosa was born on November 17, 1952, in Johannesburg. He is the second of three children and his father was a policeman. He attended primary and high school in Soweto where he grew up. He subsequently went to Mphaphuli High School in Sibasa, Limpopo, where he was elected head of the Student Christian Movement following his staunch Christian beliefs.

    Ramaphosa studied law at the then University of the North (Turfloop). He was active in the South African Students Organisation, a body which was focused on black consciousness ideology. Ramaphosa still went ahead with his political activism through the Black People’s Convention after graduating with a degree in law. He was even jailed for six months due to his activism.

    He later joined the Council of Trade Unions of South Africa which was to form the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and became its first secretary-general. Through that, he was able to turn the NUM into the largest trade union in the country.

    Political career

    In 1991, Ramaphosa was elected secretary-general of the ANC and became one of the key members who helped build the country’s constitutional democracy.

    He was basically the lead negotiator of the ANC during negotiations on a post-apartheid arrangement and helped in bringing up a new constitution for the country.

    Ramaphosa, however, lost the contest to become President Nelson Mandela’s deputy to Thabo Mbeki in 1994. He then decided to enter into business, where he built a large investment holding company called Shanduka. The company was focused on mining and fast foods. Through his 20-year-period in entrepreneurship, Ramaphosa was able to build strong a relationship and links with the private sector.

    He was criticised by some members of the ANC for the conduct of his business interests, even though he has never been indicted for illegal activity in any of these controversies.

    He, nevertheless, was still close to the ANC, as he served as a member of the national disciplinary committee.

    Ramaphosa returned to the political scene at the ANC’s 2012 elective conference in Mangaung, Bloemfontein where he was elected deputy president of the ANC, and later of the country.

    Two years before his election, he was the deputy chairman of the state-run National Planning Commission which brought out a National Development Plan. The plan was tabled as a blueprint to determine the type of society suitable for South Africa.

    Deputy President of South Africa

    Ramaphosa was appointed Deputy President by Jacob Zuma on May 25, 2014, and subsequently made the leader of Government Business in the National Assembly in terms of section 91(4) of the Constitution. He was in charge of the affairs of the national executive in Parliament; the programming of parliamentary business initiated by the national executive, within the time allocated for that purpose and ensured that Cabinet members attend to their parliamentary responsibilities.

    On June 3, 2014, President Jacob Zuma announced that Ramaphosa would be appointed as Chairman of the National Planning Commission, with Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Jeff Radebe serving as the Commission’s Deputy Chairman.

    Ramaphosa in July that same year urged for unity in the country, after calls by now leader of the opposition EFF Julius Malema to scrap the singing of the Afrikaans portion of the national anthem.

    ANC President

    After he announced that he would seek the ANC Presidency in 2017, with his second run for President, he was endorsed by so many bodies including the trade union COSATU, the National Union of Mineworkers as well as the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng provincial ANC leadership.

    Other individuals like the education minister Angie Motshekga, Cosatu’s president Sdumo Dlamini, former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu also came out strongly to support him.

    Ramaphosa was elected the president of the ANC on December 18, 2017, at the party’s 54th Elective Conference, defeating his rival Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, ex-wife of President Zuma, by 2440 votes to 2261.

    He is now going to be the president of the country following the resignation of Jacob Zuma. But the question people are asking now is how effective will he be.

    Even though he has been the deputy president of the country and the ANC for five years, many still feel he has not been so influential and hence the doubts about his leadership skills.

  • The ANC goes marching on – Owei Lakemfa

    By Owei Lakemfa.

    The African National Congress (ANC) held a contentious, but non-confrontational conference and elections on December 18 in which Cyril Ramaphosa defeated Nkosazana Dlamnin-Zuma by a 179-vote majority. There were no serious contentious issues; it was primarily a choice of personalities and the election itself is unlikely to lead to any serious internal crisis or changes.

    This is unlike the December 18, 2007 elections in which then Deputy President Jacob Zuma took on incumbent President Thabo Mbeki. That was a bruising encounter. Ordinarily, Zuma was no favourite to wrest power from Mbeki. He had been accused of rape, racketeering, and corruption in a $5 Billion 1999 arms scandal. However, President Mbeki seemed to have become paranoia and quite intolerant of a number of ANC leaders. He eventually lost the support of power blocs in the ANC like the Women Wing, the Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)

    The main indication that Mbeki had lost it came when then Security Minister, Steve Tshwete claimed there was an attempted coup against President Mbeki. Those identified as the coup plotters included Ramaphosa who had in 1994 lost the race to be President Nelson Mandela’s Deputy to Mbeki. The latter had gone on to succeed the legend as the Republic’s President. The other two accused were former Provincial Premiers, Tokyo Sexwale and Mathews Phosa. They were formidable ANC leaders who were not in Mbeki’s good books. Mandela had spoken out in defence of the accused. The widening opposition decided to rally round Zuma.

    In that 2007 elections, Jacob Zuma knocked out Mbeki by 2,329 to 1,505 votes. The victorious Zuma group pursued President Mbeki to the National Assembly to pass a vote of no confidence. On September 21, 2008, Mbeki was forced to resign and an Acting President, Kgalema Motlanthe took over to warm the South African Presidential seat for Jacob Zuma who won the 2009 elections.

    But this week’s defeat of Dr. Zuma, the President’s ex-wife and the election of Ramaphosa is unlikely to lead to the same path; the forced resignation of President Zuma. The reasons are first, it was not an election based on conflicts; it was not a sharp divide in the ANC. Yes, the President did not support his Deputy, Ramaphosa, but the voting pattern showed a close race. This is further reinforced by the fact that the top six positions in the new ANC leadership is split between the Zuma and Ramaphosa camps. The result of the follow-up National Executive Council elections does not promise to be radically different. So Ramaphosa, even if he wants to oust Zuma from the Presidency may be unable to garner enough strength to pass the required vote of no confidence by the new ANC leadership. Even if he is able to, that itself would not amount to an impeachment as the President is not required to retain the confidence of his party to remain the Republic’s Head of State.

    Zuma will only resign if the parliament passes a vote of no confidence in him. Even if Ramaphosa nurses the ambition of impeaching Zuma, it may be politically wiser for him to utilize his energy in consolidating and selling his candidacy for the country’s Presidential elections slated for 2019. Also, he would need the support of the Zuma camp to comfortably win that election.

    The ANC that has emerged from this internal contest, remains a movement that carries the hopes and aspirations of the mass of the South African people. In the 23 years it has been in power, it has faltered, its Black Empowerment programmes have not yielded the desired fruits even if it minted multi- millionaires like Ramaphosa, and it has largely side-tracked its main promises contained in the June 26, 1955 Freedom Charter. A major promise in that Charter is the return of lands the Whites took (read, stole) from the Black majority. Despite these, if it does not self-destruct, the ANC is likely to sweep the polls.

    Ramaphosa, a former scribe of the Mine Workers Union is doubtlessly, a competent person. After he took the ANC by storm winning the prized position of ANC Secretary General at the July 1991 Conference, Nelson Mandela wrote: “Cyril Ramaphosa was elected Secretary General, evidence that the torch was being passed from an older generation of leadership to a younger one. Cyril, whom I met only upon my release from prison, was a worthy successor to a long line of notable ANC leaders. He was probably the most accomplished negotiator in the ranks of the ANC.”

    Despite this, and Mandela’s apparent preference, Ramaphosa lost the race to be Mandela’s Deputy to Mbeki and eventually moved into business where he was until President Zuma brought him back from political wilderness in 2012. Zuma had been Ramaphosa’s Deputy as ANC scribe. It was thought that Zuma lured him back into politics because he wanted to reassure the business community that he was a steady hand who will not rock the boat. Some also argued that Zuma wanted a Deputy that would not pose a threat to him or his group. But apparently he underrated Ramaphosa.

    Nkosazana Dlamnin-Zuma who lost this week to Ramaphosa is an equally competent person. Before her election as the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, the body was more or less rudderless. A major contribution she made in the AU was mobilizing it to give the African People a practical programme of development. She worked tirelessly to build a consensus amongst a wide range of people including Heads of State, and groups; from women and youths to civil society and labour organisations.

    While she was at the AU, I was Secretary General of the Organization of Africa Trade Union Unity (OATUU) We invited her to a meeting of African Labour leaders. She was a very busy person and I urged her Office to send a paper or a message. The best we thought was that she will send a representative. You can imagine my shock when the AU protocol people told me Dr. Zuma was approaching the venue and that as Chief Executive, I had to receive her. She not only delivered a well- researched paper, but also challenged us to develop an African Workers Agenda which we can key into the proposed AU 2053 Agenda. We took up the challenge, and that became part of my legacy in office.

    Doubtlessly, Dr. Zuma benefited from the political machinery of her former husband, but that could also have been responsible for her loss. Dr. Zuma should not be written off in South African politics; her campaign themes of economic freedom, the duty of the state to serve the people and other core ANC values resonate well amongst the people. Viva ANC! Amandhla!!