Angolan leader João Lourenço praises South Africa's GNU

CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa has bestowed the Order of South Africa on visiting Angolan head of state João Lourenço.

It is an order only bestowed on presidential leaders.

Lourenço has been on his first state visit since being re-elected president in August.

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He praised South Africa for a peaceful transition of power to a Government of National Unity (GNU), saying elections on the continent often led to periods of instability.

"The reality has shown that the GNU made up of various political parties with different manifestos is yielding results for the benefits of the country’s stability, and consequently, the economic and social development of South Africa."

Elections in the region and civil unrest and war on the continent featured prominently during Thursday's talks between Ramaphosa and Lourenço.

Ramaphosa said he was particularly concerned about the post-election civil unrest in Mozambique.

Lourenço, who also serves on the African Union presidential ad hoc committee on war-torn Sudan, said all efforts were being made to restore peace there, as well as in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He said negotiations for peace in the eastern DRC were progressing smoothly, and that Angola would host another round of discussions on 15 December, in the hope it would lead to a peace agreement being signed very soon.

Lourenço said the Middle East conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war also threatened global peace and security.