President Cyril Ramaphosa will receive an update on the reform process in the Kingdom of Lesotho when he arrives for a working visit there on Thursday.
The President will receive the update in his capacity as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Facilitator to Lesotho.
President Ramaphosa was appointed SADC facilitator to Lesotho in September 2014 when he held the position of Deputy President of South Africa.
After assuming the position of President in 2018, President Ramaphosa appointed former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke to lead the SADC Facilitation Team to Lesotho.
“President Ramaphosa is due to present a report on the facilitation process to the SADC Heads of State and Government in August 2019 in the United Republic of Tanzania where regional leaders will particularly assess progress in constitutional and security reforms in Lesotho,” said the Presidency in a statement.
During the visit, the President and his counterpart Prime Minister Thomas Thabane will also discuss bilateral, regional and continental issues, as well as international developments.
It is expected that President Ramaphosa will also pay a courtesy call on King Letsie III and engage with civil society groupings.
South Africa and Lesotho enjoy strong and cordial relations based on historical ties dating back to the struggle against colonialism and apartheid in South Africa, shared language and close geographical proximity.
The structured bilateral relations between the two countries are conducted through the Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation (JBCC) which was established in 2001 and is convened at a ministerial level.
In this regard, the working visit takes place in the context of strengthening bilateral, political, social and trade relations between the two countries.
Bilateral cooperation between South Africa and Lesotho spans a wide range of areas including, but not limited to, trade and investment, security, energy, transport, agriculture, tourism, water as well as environment.
The President will be accompanied by the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo and International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Candith Mashego-Dlamini. – SAnews.gov.za
