King Charles welcomes South Africa’s Ramaphosa for first state visit
KANO, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed President Jacob Zuma from his “first state visit to South Africa since 2015.”
Zuma and Ramaphosa will attend the 2019 Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations) Summit in Kuala Lumpur. The two leaders are scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss regional and global issues.
Zuma arrived on Monday to begin his three-day official visit to South Africa.
Zuma was in South Africa as part of his first official trip since assuming the presidency in 2018.
South Africa’s deputy president and ambassador to the United Nations, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, will meet Friday with Zuma at the presidential residence.
Ramaphosa has been president since December 2015, succeeding Jacob Zuma who stepped down amid mounting political and legal problems.
The visit is the first state visit by a sitting president to South Africa since 2003. It comes amid continuing political tensions and South Africa’s ongoing struggle to address its high levels of poverty, corruption and inequality.
Some 1.1 million South Africans struggle to eat everyday and 1.2 million are unemployed, according to U.N. figures.
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The African Union says it’s “welcomed” South Africa’s first state visit of a sitting president by Jacob Zuma.
The organization said in a statement it is looking forward to what the new president can bring to the continent.
The AU says it is “cautiously optimistic” about the visit.
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South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma is arriving in Africa for the first time since he was elected to office.
Zuma was in South Africa as part of his first official trip since assuming the presidency in 2018. Zuma is expected to attend Thursday’s