President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in his capacity as Chair of the African Union (AU), requested the postponement of a meeting with Commissioners of the African Union Commission.
The AU meeting was scheduled to take place on 19 March 2020, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According to the Presidency, the President’s request arises from the priority he is giving to South Africa’s national response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The President is leading the National Command Council which meets three times a week to coordinate the multi-sectoral response to COVID-19.
The AU Commissioners support the Chairperson in running the Commission and have the responsibility to implement all decisions, policies and programmes across eight portfolios that include Peace and Security, Political Affairs, Social Affairs, Trade and Industry, and Human Resources, Science and Technology.
The meeting was due to discuss the programme of work of the African Union for the current year and would have been the President’s first meeting with Commissioners since assuming the Chair in February 2020.
The meeting has been postponed to a date to be mutually agreed upon in April 2020, said the Presidency. – SAnews.gov.za
