Ntuli welcomes Ramaphosa's decision to send envoys explaining SA foreign policy, domestic legislation
Ramaphosa made the announcement during his State of the Nation Address last week, just hours before US President Donald Trump issued an executive order against South Africa, allegedly over its Expropriation Act.
CAPE TOWN - African National Congress (ANC) chief whip in Parliament, Ndumiseni Ntuli has welcomed a decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa to send envoys around the world to explain South Africa’s foreign policy and its domestic legislation.
Ramaphosa made the announcement during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week, just hours before United States (US) President Donald Trump issued an executive order against South Africa, allegedly over its Expropriation Act.
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There is an expectation that an announcement from Ramaphosa on who these envoys will be is imminent.
The president has been attending the African Union (AU) Summit in Ethiopia this weekend.
In 2018, Ramaphosa appointed envoys to sell the country as an investment destination as the economy battled to overcome years of state capture.
His new envoys will be tasked with explaining the country’s policies to mitigate any further cuts in foreign aid and misconceptions about government’s expropriation laws to ensure it does not impact foreign direct investment in an economy that is battling to grow.
Speaking on the sidelines of a parliamentary lekgotla on Sunday, Ntuli said it is unfortunate that the US has taken the decision to freeze healthcare aid without consulting countries first.
“It’s a diversion from the usual international practices, that when countries have entered into a certain agreement on how to work with one another, and in this case for decades, you can’t just wake up and make changes.”
Ntuli said it will be important for government’s envoys to explain that the country’s laws are not about excluding any parts of the population, but rather to rectify the injustices caused by colonialism and apartheid.