By Enyichukwu Enemanna
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has commenced a state visit to Paris and was on Friday received by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace.
This comes days after the gold-rich West African nation, Ghana blocked his visit planned to take place in August, citing anti-migrant protests that have strained Pretoria’s relationship with other African states.
Discussions between Ramaphosa and his host President were due to focus on ways of strengthening political, economic, and strategic cooperation between their countries.
The meeting also provides an opportunity to discuss regional security, including conflicts in Africa, and broader global issues countries.
Ramaphosa’s three-day visit comes less than a month after South Africa was removed from the guest list for the G7 summit in Évian.
The presidency initially said he had been excluded because “sustained pressure from the United States”, a claim Ramaphosa later said was incorrect.
According to the French presidency, his visit to France this weekend is intended to reinforce the longstanding partnership between the two countries.
Ramaphosa will also co-chair discussions at UNESCO focused on quality education and meet with French business leaders.
On Sunday, he will take commemorations marking the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Delvile Wood in northern France during which over 2,500 South African soldiers died.
South Africa has faced criticism at home following months of anti-immigration demonstrations that have seen thousands of foreigners leave the country.
Nigeria and Ghana have alleged the killing of their citizens in the xenophobic attacks that have seen protesters go door-to-door to remove foreigners they believe live in South Africa illegally, but Pretoria denies the claim.
