June 11, 2024 – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will not attend the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy, his spokesperson announced on Monday. Originally scheduled to join the meeting from June 13 to June 15 in the Puglia region at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ramaphosa will instead prioritize domestic issues.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The G7, currently chaired by Italy, includes the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the EU. This year’s summit aims to broaden its scope by inviting several non-member countries, including South Africa, Algeria, Kenya, Mauritania, India, Brazil, Argentina, and Türkiye.
“President Ramaphosa will not be attending the G7 meeting due to current domestic priorities he needs to focus on,” said spokesman Vincent Magwenya.
Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) is in talks with various opposition parties about forming a national unity government after losing its parliamentary majority in the May 29 elections. The ANC secured 40.18% of the vote, translating to 159 seats in the 400-seat parliament, a significant drop from their previous 230 seats. This marks the first time the ANC has lost its majority since Nelson Mandela’s historic victory in 1994.
The ANC is under pressure to finalize a coalition agreement before the new National Assembly convenes on Friday. Discussions have included potential partnerships with the center-right Democratic Alliance (DA), which received 22% of the vote (87 seats), and the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which obtained 9% of the vote (39 seats). Former president Jacob Zuma’s Umkhonto Wesizwe Party, with 15% of the vote (58 seats), has declined to negotiate with the ANC.
Ramaphosa, seeking a second term, emphasized the importance of a national unity government, stating it is the most effective way to meet the expectations of South Africans. If established, this would echo the national unity government led by Mandela from 1994 to 1997, which aimed to foster inclusiveness in post-Apartheid South Africa.
