Pretoria - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is in Tanzania for the Heads of State Emergency Summit on Burundi called by the regional bloc East African Community (EAC).
Deputy President Ramaphosa is representing President Jacob Zuma who was invited to the summit for his previous role as mediator in the Burundi peace process.
Other Heads of State attending the one day summit are from Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi.
“The summit has been convened specifically to deliberate upon the current political and security challenges facing the people of Burundi and to chart a way forward,” the Presidency said on Tuesday.
The summit was preceded by a visit to Burundi by a delegation of regional foreign ministers to assess the current situation in the country and make recommendations to the summit regarding the proposed way forward.
Deputy President Ramaphosa will be supported during the summit by Deputy Minister Nomaindia Mfeketo, South Africa’s High Commissioner Thami Mseleku and senior government officials.
Burundi has been hit by protests on the incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in power. At least 14 people have died and hundreds have been wounded in protests since April 25.
Nkurunziza was elected by his party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), in an extraordinary congress to represent the party in the upcoming presidential election.
The protesters say the nomination of Nkurunziza is a violation of the country's constitution and the 2000 Arusha Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Burundi.
The constitution and the Arusha Agreement stipulate that a president of Burundi cannot serve the country for more than two terms.
Nkurunziza was elected by parliament in 2005 and directly re-elected by citizens in 2010.
Last week, however, the Burundian constitutional court endorsed the candidacy of Nkurunziza to the upcoming presidential election.
Burundi is due to hold general elections between May 26 and August 24, with the presidential election to be held on June 26.
There has been international calls for Burundi to postpone the elections, arguing that the climate is not "conducive" to hold elections. - SAnews.gov.za
