Addis Ababa, 14 April 2018: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, undertook a visit to South Africa on 11 and 12 April 2018, during which he met with President Cyril Ramaphosa, to discuss a wide range of issues linked to continental priorities. He took the opportunity to reiterate his condolences following the death of Winnie Mandela.

The Chairperson expressed appreciation for South Africa’s longstanding commitment to the ideals and objectives of the African Union. President Ramaphosa pledged his full support to the Commission in the discharge of its mandate and his country’s determination to spare no efforts in helping to advance the African Union agenda. He assured the Chairperson of South Africa’s commitment to the institutional reform of the African Union and to continental integration. South Africa will sign both the agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons and the African Passport, as soon as the ongoing internal consultations are concluded.

President Ramaphosa and the Chairperson of the Commission also exchanged views on efforts to promote peace, security and stability in Africa, including how best the African Union, through its High-Level ad hoc Committee on South Sudan chaired by South Africa, could more effectively support the tireless efforts spearheaded by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The Chairperson of the Commission took advantage of his visit to meet with Dr. Riek Machar, the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM/iO). He underlined the imperative for all South Sudanese stakeholders to muster the required political courage and commitment to end the conflict unfolding in their country, and strongly called on Dr. Machar to fully play his part and cooperate unreservedly with the IGAD-led efforts within the Revitalization Forum. Dr. Machar pledged to do all he can to facilitate the search for peace, and said he was looking forward to the resumption of the Revitalization Forum under the IGAD auspices.