South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa has on Thursday cancelled his plan to attend the next UN General Assembly meeting because he has to ‘concentrate on critical issues’ at home.
The president has instructed Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, to lead the South African delegation to attend the meeting, scheduled for Sept. 23-26 in New York.
Presidential spokesperson, Khusela Diko said Ramaphosa has decided to remain in South Africa to attend to the implementation of the government’s urgent measures on gender-based violence.
Diko added that the president wanted to witness the restoration of order and stability in areas affected by public violence and to oversee initiatives to turn around the economy.
In a statement issued by the Presidency, Ramaphosa stated that this is a time for leadership from across society to mobilise their respective constituencies in support of economic progress and rebuilding the social and moral fabric of society.
He said his government is stepping up its own contribution to this collective effort hence he would be meeting communities, civil society and structures of government on concrete actions to address public concerns and challenges.
Recall that South Africa has seen rising gender-based violence and clashes between locals and foreigners that have led to at least 12 people killed in recent days.
