Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa undertakes Working Visit to the Kingdom of Lesotho

Pretoria - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will, in his capacity as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Facilitator to the Kingdom of Lesotho, undertake a Working Visit to Maseru tomorrow, Wednesday 9 August 2017.
 
The visit of the Facilitator takes place against the backdrop of the June 3, 2017 general elections in the Kingdom which saw the inauguration of a new Coalition Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane.
 
Deputy President Ramaphosa will consult with the new Government, leaders of opposition parties, the college of chiefs and civil society stakeholders in the Kingdom, charting the path for the full implementation of SADC decisions on Constitutional and Security Sector Reforms.
 
The SADC Extraordinary Summit that took place in the Kingdom of Swaziland on the 18th of March this year, had mandated the Facilitator, supported by the Oversight Committee, to conduct a multi-stakeholder national dialogue with the aim of building consensus and trust among all stakeholders and guiding a roadmap for the implementation of SADC decisions.
 
This process could not be undertaken before the June 3 elections in Lesotho as political parties had demanding elections campaign schedules.
 
Following these successful elections and the appointment of a Coalition Government, conditions have made it possible for continuation of the national dialogue and the reform process.
 
The Facilitator, Deputy President Ramaphosa, will be expected to provide a report to the SADC Double Troika Summit taking place in Pretoria, South Africa on 18 August  2017 where the Lesotho Government is also expected to table a reforms roadmap.
 
The Deputy President will be accompanied by the Oversight Committee which provides on-going monitoring of the political and security situation in Lesotho.
 
Deputy President Ramaphosa will begin his engagements by paying a courtesy call to His Majesty, King Letsie III.

 
Enquiries:
 
Tyrone Seale - +27 83 5757 440: Acting Spokesperson for Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria