Deputy President to attend inauguration in Namibia

Friday, March 20, 2015

Pretoria - South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday arrived in Windhoek ahead of the scheduled inauguration of Namibia's President-elect Dr. Hage Geingob.

Deputy President will represent President Jacob Zuma, the government and people of South Africa at the inauguration ceremony on Saturday.

President Zuma will be attending and addressing the official funeral of the late Public Service and Administration Minister, Collins Chabane, who will be laid to rest at his home town of Xikundu in the Limpopo province on Saturday.

Deputy President Ramaphosa will be supported by Minister of International Relations and Co-Operation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and South Africa's High Commissioner to Namibia.

The inauguration follows elections held on 28 November 2014.

The inauguration ceremony will coincide with the 25th Independence Anniversary celebrations of the Republic of Namibia.

South Africa enjoys strategic political and economic relations with Namibia.

Relations between the peoples of the two countries were fashioned in the theatre of struggle against apartheid and colonialism.

These relations were consolidated into state-to-state relations following the decolonialisation of Namibia in 1990 and the dawn of peace, freedom and justice in South Africa in 1994.

Deputy President Ramaphosa is expected to return to South Africa later on Saturday. – SAnews.gov.za