President Cyril Ramaphosa with US Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety. Image source: X @PresidencyZA
Ramaphosa shows Reuben Brigety ‘cold shoulder’ [watch]
President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared to give US Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety the cold shoulder at the AGOA Summit.
President Cyril Ramaphosa with US Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety. Image source: X @PresidencyZA
US Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, was the centre of attention after a cold greeting from President Cyril Ramaphosa at The 2023 AGOA summit.
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It’s safe to say that Reuben Brigety is not the most popular person in South Africa right now. The US Ambassador to South Africa was in town for The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) summit and did not receive a warm or pleasant reception from the country. It appears as if many locals are still feeling sour after Brigety accused the country of exporting weapons to Russia in what is now known as the Lady R incident of December 2022.
Although South Africa was cleared of any wrongdoing, it appears as if its people and indeed its president have not forgotten the false accusations.
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RAMAPHOSA GIVES BRIGETY ‘COLD’ HANDSHAKE
The 2023 AGOA summit took place at the NASREC Expo Centre in Johannesburg between 2 – 4 November 2023. President Ramaphosa appeared on Friday the 3rd where he was set to give his input into the theme of this year’s summit: “Partnering to Build a Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive AGOA to support Economic Development, Industrialisation and Quality Job Creation”.
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However, the moment that stole most headlines came when our president was doing his rounds and greeting guests. Ramaphosa appeared upbeat and cheery as he greeted delegates, but when the time came for him to shake Brigety’s hand, his demeanour changed. The president shook the ambassador’s hand, but avoided all eye contact and barely said anything to his American counterpart before moving on swiftly.
Onlookers on social media were quick to point out the awkwardness of the situation. A viewer wrote on X, “The American ambassador getting a cold shoulder” while another added, “Next time don’t shake Reuben Brigety’s hand, he nearly ruined SA’s reputation with his Lady R stance.”
BRIGETY DRAGGED FOR PARTYING IN SOUTH AFRICA
If Ramaphosa didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for the ambassador, then the rest of the nation made it clear that he was now overstaying his welcome. Prior to the cold handshake moment, Brigety had shared a video of himself partying in South Africa at the AGOA Summit’s welcome event. He captioned the video “Ain’t no party like an AGOA party!” as a local band played behind him.
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His mentions were immediately flooded by angry South Africans who made it clear they had not forgotten Lady-R-Gate! An angry viewer commented, “The same AGOA you nearly jeopardised for SA, with your lies. Go home, Reuben Brigety!”. Another kept the same energy by replying to his video and saying, “yes, but when are you apologizing?”
Despite the perceived tension between the country, Ramaphosa and Reuben Brigety, Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has made it clear that there is no issue. She explained that South Africa and the USA maintain a “solid” relationship and “good” trade relations.
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