STAFF REPORTER
Following a standoff at Warsaw, Poland’s Chopin International Airport where President Cyril Ramaphosa’s entourage including his security personnel and some journalists from South Africa, were prevented from entering the country, the Poles now claim the plane was transporting dangerous or unsafe goods that had not been declared.
The plane had been grounded at the Chopin Airport for almost 24 hours and it is reported that at some point the passengers were given the all clear to embark but before they could complete the process, they were told to remain in the plane.
While the South African media delegation is cooped up at the airport, Associated Press reports a while ago that a delegation of African leaders including Ramaphosa arrived in Kyiv on Friday and first went to Bucha one of the suburbs where civilians were allegedly scattered on the streets after Russians abandoned a campaign to seize the town.
They show images of Ramaphosa together with a delegation that includes the presidents of Senegal, Zambia and the Comoros Islands, attending a commemoration ceremony at the site of the mass graves.
The delegation was set to travel to St. Petersburg later Friday, where Russia’s top international economic conference is taking place, and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday. It also includes senior officials from Uganda, Egypt and Congo-Brazzaville.
It seems like the South Africa media might have missed this event as TimesLive reported that the Polish Foreign Minister said “on board the plane there were dangerous materials, the import of which was not authorised by South African representatives.
“In addition, there were people on board the plane who had not been previously notified to the Polish side”.
The flight with more than 120 people on board, left South Africa at about 1.30am on Thursday, and experienced problems two hours before arriving in Warsaw.
The passengers include an advance team that was to provide security for Ramaphosa who is on a mission to seek an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The media contingent was expected to cover and report on Ramaphosa’s meetings with both Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kyiv and St Petersburg respectively.
By 3pm on Friday there was still no certainty if the passengers would be allowed to proceed to St Petersburg.
This is a developing story.
