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- The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, will meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday in Pretoria.
- South Africa will hand over the presidency of the African Union to the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the beginning of the new year.
- Regional dynamics, as well as trade and investment, are all on the meeting’s agenda.
The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, will pay a working visit to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday.
The visit comes amid high political tension in his own country, as he moved to break the ruling coalition with his predecessor, Joseph Kabila, by expelling the majority party that was loyal to him from parliament.
According to a statement from the Ramaphosa office, the two presidents will use the one-day visit to, “… exchange views regarding developments at the regional level, as well as discuss general issues affecting the continent in the context of Africa Union “.
South Africa will hand over the presidency of the African Union (AU) to the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the continental body’s summit early in the new year.
Tshisekedi has reportedly already appointed a high-level panel to advise him on this, and mainland concerns about conflicts in Libya, the Sahel, Mali, Ethiopia and Mozambique will likely include instability in the eastern part of his own country.
“The visit will be an opportunity to reflect on ways to advance the African Union’s visionary and development Agenda 2063 and enhance the strategic cooperation of the two countries,” the statement said.
Tshisekedi will be accompanied to the meeting by senior members of his government, while the Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor, the Minister of Defense Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, and the Minister State Security Officer Ayanda Dlodlo, join Ramaphosa.
READ | Democratic Republic of Congo lawmakers tear parliament apart as political crisis deepens
Debates on 12th The session of the South Africa-DRC Binational Commission, which includes the two presidents, who has a strong focus on post-conflict reconstruction and development, are also on the agenda.
There will also be discussions on trade (exports from South Africa to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019 were valued at R15.2 billion) and investment. South Africa’s investments in that country include financial services, mining, construction and real estate development, retail, supplier services for the oil, gas and mobile phone industries, ICT, security and surveillance, logistics and tourism and hospitality.
Agriculture and agricultural processing are a growing investment area, according to the presidential statement.
South Africa was one of the countries Tshisekedi visited shortly after he was elected president last year. He also attended the inauguration of Ramaphosa.
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