Ramaphosa slams ‘fake news’, as he reveals plans to stop xenophobic attacks

Cyril Ramaphosa has penned his latest weekly address to the nation, where he has chosen to focus on the bilateral meeting held between South Africa and Nigeria last week. President Buhari visited Mzansi just a month after xenophobia-fuelled riots affected hundreds of Nigerians in Gauteng.

Ramaphosa talks trade, xenophobia and friendship

According to Cyril, the atmosphere was “far from tense”, after diplomatic relations turned positively frosty in September. However, Buhari’s decision to show up in South Africa plotted a path for our redemption on the continent. Their meeting also turned its attention to fixing the problems which sparked the violence.

Ramaphosa has confirmed that an “early warning mechanism” is now in place for both countries, which share breaking alerts between each intelligence service. Should either country have concerns about a new tide of xenophobic protests, they can exchange ideas and discuss the best way to proceed.

President rallies against ‘fake news’

While on the theme of co-operation, Cyril Ramaphosa also took a side-swipe at the “misinformation” that did the rounds on social media. Tensions were fuelled by graphic videos and photos, which claimed to show South Africans brutally attacking foreigners. However, many of these posts proved to be ‘fake news’:

“Fueled by misinformation spread on social media, the xenophobia-driven attacks provoked much anger in different parts of the continent leading to threats against South African businesses and diplomatic missions. We were both clear in our condemnation of attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa, as well as reprisal actions against South African interests in Nigeria.”

“We emphasised the need for South Africans in Nigeria and Nigerians in South Africa to respect and obey the laws of their host countries. Importantly, we agreed to set up an ‘early warning mechanism’ through which our two countries can share information, coordinate efforts and act to prevent any recurrence.”

Ramaphosa champions African development

Getting things back on track with Nigeria is vital for business in SA – that’s the message Ramaphosa was keen to convey in this week’s From The Desk Of The President. The value of trade between the two countries has scaled the R50 billion mark in the past year. But it isn’t just Nigeria who are being buttered up.

President Ramaphosa also stressed his commitment to “intra-African trade”, saying that we should be prepared to do more business with our neighbours and the countries closest to us. Cyril suggests that rapid growth in other African countries can only be beneficial for Mzansi, as we work towards developing a continental free-trade area.

“There was a clear message from the business forum that was held on the sidelines of the state visit that there is a great deal of business interest in both South Africa and Nigeria, and that we need to work harder to clear the blockages. Nigeria and South Africa are important for each other’s economies.”

“We have therefore set up a Joint Ministerial Advisory Council on Industry, Trade and Investment that will meet regularly to facilitate bilateral business and, where necessary, sort out problems. The time is right for a new era of intra-African trade, where African countries no longer look abroad for the products and services they need, but to other countries on this continent.”