Pretoria – Over 300 South African National Defence Force personnel were used for US President Barack Obama’s visit to South Africa.
The American President arrived in South Africa with his wife, Michelle Obama, and their two daughters on Friday, 28 June.
Obama went on to participate in several engagements, including talks with President Jacob Zuma, which mainly centred on broadening trade relations between the US and South Africa.
Obama also gave an address to young leaders at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus, and met with the family of ailing former President Nelson Mandela.
He also held talks with African Union Commission chair, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
A dinner was also hosted at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House on Saturday evening, where the US President took the opportunity to pay tribute to Madiba.
Obama then proceeded to Cape Town, where he visited the prison museum on Robben Island and the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation Youth Centre.
His visit to the country is part of his three-nation tour of Africa, which started in Senegal. Obama left South Africa on Monday, 1 July, to go to Tanzania.
“President Jacob Zuma has, in terms of section 201(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, read with Section 19 of the Defence Act, 2000, authorised the employment of 306 South African National Defence Force personnel, for the service in cooperation with the South African Police Service, to provide security during the official visit by President Barack Obama of the United States of America, to the Republic of South Africa.
“The Deployment of the South African National Defence Force Personnel was with effect from 28 June 2013 to 01 July 2013,” said the Presidency in a statement. – SAnews.gov.za
