Special envoy to US Mcebisi Jonas not part of Ramaphosa delegation in the US

WASHINGTON - Newly appointed South African special envoy to the United States (US) Mcebisi Jonas, will not be joining President Cyril Ramaphosa on his working visit with President Donald Trump.

The Presidency said his absence bears no consequence to the president’s programme. 

Ramaphosa and four members of his cabinet, including Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Ronald Lamola, Parks Tau and John Steenhuisen, will be joined by businessman Johann Rupert.

Champion golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and representatives from labour and business, such as the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)’s Zingiswa Losi and Business Unity South Africa’s Adrian Gore, will also form part of Ramaphosa’s delegation.

The much-anticipated meeting is set to take place at 11:30 in the US, which is 5:30 Central African Time.

The president has maintained that the two nations are joined at the hip. This with over 600 US companies operating in South Africa. 

According to reports, Trump might use Wednesday’s meeting to push for US companies to be exempt from South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws. 

This has also fuelled talks of the US President’s key ally, Elon Musk’s desire to bring his internet service Starlink to South Africa, as he failed to acquire a licence due to not meeting its BEE quotas.

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