Media Statement
14 April 2024
President Cyril Ramaphosa to undertake Working Visits to the Republics of Uganda and South Sudan
President Cyril Ramaphosa will on 15-16 April 2024, undertake a Working Visit to the Republic of Uganda to meet with HE President Yoweri Museveni.
The two leaders will discuss regional security and stability, including the situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
From Kampala, President Ramaphosa will proceed to the Republic of South Sudan.
The purpose of the visit, from 16-18 April 2024, will be to strengthen the existing bilateral relations between South Africa and South Sudan.
The President will also use the visit to receive a detailed briefing from President Salva Kiir Mayardit, and all other stakeholders, on the status of implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) which was signed on 12 September 2018.
The R-ARCSS is coming to an end on 22 February 2025 and must be preceded by elections scheduled for December 2024.
It is in this context that President Ramaphosa has designated Deputy President Paul Mashatile, as his Special Envoy, to provide practical and political support to the parties to the R-ARCSS and the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU), towards achieving the measures set to achieve a democratic and peaceful end to the transitional period.
To this end, Deputy President Mashatile has visited South Sudan and based on his engagements with stakeholders, recommended a follow-up visit by President Ramaphosa.
South Africa has always been walking with South Sudan on its path to reconstruction and development since the dawn of independence in 2011.
South Africa has participated in various conflict resolution and mediation mechanisms, State building, capacity building of State institutions and programmes for post-conflict reconstruction and development.
South Africa is also the Chair of the African Union High-Level Ad-hoc Committee for South Sudan (also known as C5), which has been mandated by the African Union to support South Sudan in its transitional process.
South Africa enjoys cordial bilateral relations with South Sudan and the two countries have a long-standing historical relationship that pre-dates South Sudan’s independence on 9 July 2011.
An agreement establishing official bilateral relations was signed on 24 September 2012.
Bilateral relations between South Africa and South Sudan are conducted through the General Cooperation Agreement (GCA) which was signed in 2013.
Media enquiries: Mr Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the Presidency – media@presidency.gov.za
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria