President cancels visit to Indonesia to attend to domestic matters
President Jacob Zuma has cancelled his visit to Indonesia in order to attend to matters at home relating to the attacks on foreign nationals.
President Zuma was due to leave for Indonesia this evening, 18 April 2015 for a State Visit and to attend the Africa-Asia Summit and the commemoration of the historic summit in Bandung, Indonesia in 1955 which brought together Africa and Asia to push forward the struggle for liberation and self-determination.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will replace the President in Indonesia.
The President is to lead a stakeholder outreach programme in the country next week. Ministers and Deputy Ministers will also engage South Africans and stakeholders next week in an Imbizo and stakeholder programme leading up to Freedom Day, 27 April. The meetings will be focused on strengthening the existing support for peace and peaceful co-existence among all peace loving South Africans while also listening to concerns being raised by some communities.
Today, 18 April 2015 the President will visit the displaced foreign nationals in Chatsworth in Durban at 16h00. His programme for the rest of the week will be communicated in due course.
The President once again expresses his condemnation of the attacks on foreign nationals and has urged the police to continue working round the clock to protect communities and bring perpetrators to book.
The President thanks the South African public and the South African media for coming out against xenophobia and the attacks on foreign nationals in various parts of the country in many campaigns.
He also thanks the international community including the African Union and the United Nations, for support during this difficult period for the country.
"We reiterate our message that there can be no justification for the attacks on foreign nationals. These attacks go against everything we believe in. The majority of South Africans love peace and good relations with their brothers and sisters in the continent. We will engage stakeholders next week as we need all leaders to work together to bring the situation to normality. Working together we will be able to overcome this challenge,'' said the President.
Enquiries:
Mac Maharaj
Cell: 079 879 3203
E-mail: macmaharaj@icloud.com
