By Simon Nare
President Cyril Ramaphosa has brushed off suggestions that he compromised already strained diplomatic relations between South Africa and the US when he contacted businessman and close US President Donald Trump ally, Elon Musk, outside diplomatic channels.
In an oral question and answer session in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Ramaphosa defended his move to call South African-born Musk privately after Trump issued an executive order and pulled the plug on US aid over the Expropriation Act.
The president was taken to task on why he breached protocol by calling Musk outside diplomatic channels in a telephone conversation organised by the billionaire’s father who is based in South Africa.
EFF leader Julius Malema put it to Ramaphosa that he breached protocol by going down that path and should have instead used diplomatic channels, and by doing so, he undermined International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola.
In his defence, Ramaphosa said Malema should not attempt to wedge a war between him and the minister as the two had a good relationship, but he admitted that he had spoken to Musk after the executive order was issued by Trump.
He argued that Musk was an influential businessman in the Trump administration, but did not go into detail or explain why he had called him directly instead of using diplomatic channels.
He explained that he had first met Musk while he was in the US to attend a United Nations meeting when the wealthy businessman visited him in his hotel room and the two spoke on a range of issues.
“So did I speak to him recently the answer is yes. As I have indicated in this conversation that I had with him, we had a discussion on what was a mischaracterisation of what was being said about our country.
“And he being a person who is quite, I would say influential whether one likes or not, as we interact with various people, business, academic, research or otherwise. We do interact with people who we believe are able to discuss issues with some people in very official categories,” said Ramaphosa.
He added that as president he had the liberty to engage with state actors and non-state actors and there was nothing untoward about it. The president said he would continue to engage such people in the best interest of the country.
The president said there was nothing sinister with engaging people inside and outside the country in efforts to promote the country and its interest.
Ramaphosa answered other questions ranging from the economy and land to the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo conflict.
On the question of land, Ramaphosa admitted that the government has been slow in addressing land redress, but said the recently signed Expropriation Act was a step in the right direction.
On the economy, the president further admitted that the country remained one of the most unequal countries in the world despite the efforts to close the gap and introduce an inclusive economy.
“[There is] still the racial and gender divide of the past, of both the colonial as well as the apartheid past. Responding to this fundamental challenge we are guided by the Constitution which places a responsibility on the state to take measures to reverse the effects of past racial discrimination,” he said.
Ramaphosa said that since the first democratic administration, various transformation measures were introduced by successive administrations. They included Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, employment equity and many others.
He said the B-BBEEE Commission, which was established to oversee the progress of black participation in the economy, had confirmed that progress was being made.
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