President Ramaphosa won't sign visa-free agreement between SA & Ukraine - ANC's Mbalula

JOHANNESBURG - African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said that President Cyril Ramaphosa would not sign the visa-free agreement between South Africa and Ukraine.

The agreement, which has been in the pipeline since 2020, intends to allow Ukrainian diplomats visa-free access to South Africa.

On Monday, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced on social media platform X that he was delighted to have signed the agreement.

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While Schreiber claims to have signed the visa-free access agreement between South Africa and Ukraine, the Presidency said that it was yet to be signed.

This has led to a spat on social media, with some in the ANC saying that the Democratic Alliance (DA) minister was misleading the public.

In his post, Schreiber said he'd now referred the agreement to President Ramaphosa to add his signature.

But Mbalula said that the president would not even bother.

"Leon Schreiber claims to have signed the Ukraine agreement. He is crazy and overly excited. Comrades are angry, but I'm not bothered because I know the president won't sign it."

International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola said that the agreement was yet to be concluded.