Media Statement
11 September 2024
Deputy President Mashatile to meet with the AU Panel of the Wise on South Sudan
His Excellency Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile will on Thursday, 12 September 2024, in his capacity as a Special Envoy to South Sudan, meet with the African Union (AU) Panel of the Wise, for the Panel to brief him on their regional diplomacy efforts to build consensus and support for the Government of the Republic of South Sudan in the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
The AU Panel of the Wise is one of the critical pillars of the Peace and Security Architecture of the AU and its work complements the efforts of the C5 and the Tumaini Initiative in their efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict in South Sudan. In particular, the Panel of the Wise will apprise Deputy President Mashatile on South Sudan’s state of readiness to hold elections, which according to the R-ARCSS roadmap are supposed to be held this year.
The current Panel of the Wise is comprised of the following members serving three-year terms from each of the AU’s five regions: HE Domitien Ndayizeye, former President of Burundi and Chairperson of the Panel of the Wise; HE Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of South Africa; HE Amre Moussa, former Foreign Minister of Egypt and former Secretary-General of the League of Arab States; Hon. Lady Justice Effie Owuor of the Republic of Kenya; and Professor Babacar Kante of the Republic of Senegal.
Two members of the Panel of the Wise, namely, former Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and former Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Hon. Lady Justice Effie Owuor of the Republic of Kenya, will meet the Deputy President. They will be accompanied by Dr Akok Madut, Head: Mediation and Dialogue Division of the Department of Political Affairs, AU Peace and Security; Ms Netsanet Tekeda Alemu, Coordinator of the Panel of the Wise Secretariat; and Ambassador Luigi Pepani, Advisor to former Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Details of the meeting are as follows:
Date: Thursday, 12 September 2024
Time: 09h00 (media to arrive 08h30)
Venue: Room 26, Tuynhuys, Parliament, Cape Town
Media is hereby invited for a photo opportunity at the beginning of the meeting and a media doorstop after the meeting.
Members of the media wishing to cover the meeting are requested to submit their full details to Mr Bongani Majola on 082 339 1993.
Media enquiries: Mr Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President on 066 195 8840
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria