Deputy President Mabuza arrives in South Sudan to continue facilitation process

Deputy President David Mabuza in his capacity as Special Envoy to South Sudan has arrived in Juba, South Sudan to continue facilitating the meeting of Parties in finding solution to the issue of States and their Boundaries.

Deputy President Mabuza is co-facilitating the Consultative Meeting of Parties on the matter of States and their Boundaries, at the invitation of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), together with Special Envoys from IGAD, Uganda, Sudan and Kenya.

The facilitation by Deputy President Mabuza is aimed at finding an agreement on the number of States and their Boundaries, as one of the outstanding issues towards the formation of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity.

At the December 2019 meeting of Parties, signatories to the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan could not reach common position on the number of States.

Consequently in January 2020, the Parties remained apart and still holding to their December 2019 positions. The Special Envoys to South Sudan including Deputy President  Mabuza proposed an arbitrated mechanism to break the impasse, thereby paving the way for the formation of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity, on or before the expiry of the current 100-day Pre- Transitional extended period.

Parties requested time to make further consultations on the proposed mechanism and its modalities. The Special Envoys to South Sudan, led by Deputy President Mabuza granted the request of the Parties to consult and firm up their negotiation texts. Today Deputy President Mabuza has returned to South Sudan to further facilitate a meeting of Parties towards agreement on the number of States and their Boundaries or an and arbitrated process as a mechanism to break the impasse.

“We are returning here today hopeful of a breakthrough. Parties to the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan have all expressed their commitment to the formation of a Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity by the end of the current extension period. What is outstanding are the modalities of resolving the impasse. Therefore, we are confident that Parties would accept our proposal, and agree on a workable solution before entering the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity” said Deputy President David Mabuza.

Deputy President David Mabuza is also expected to pay a courtesy call on President Salva Kiir Mayardit, while in Juba for the Consultative Meeting of Parties, wherein he would engage him on the proposed path to the formation of the Revitalised Government of National Unity


Media enquiries: Matshepo Seedat, Media Liaison Officer in the Office of the Deputy President on +2782 679 9473 or Matshepo@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria