Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will travels to Lesotho on Wednesday where he will consult with the new government of the Kingdom of Lesotho, leaders of opposition parties, the college of chiefs as well as civil society stakeholders in the country.
The Deputy President will conduct the consultations in his capacity as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Facilitator to the Kingdom of Lesotho.
The Deputy President’s Working Visit follows the general elections in the Kingdom which saw the inauguration of a new coalition government under the leadership of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane.
The consultations are expected to chart 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 3 June elections in Lesotho as political parties had demanding elections campaign schedules,” the Presidency said.
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.
Deputy President Ramaphosa will be expected to provide a report to the SADC Double Troika Summit taking place in Pretoria on 18 August 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. –SAnews.gov.za
