Claim about tensions between Zuma and Ramaphosa denied by Presidency
The Presidency says it is shocked by what it calls a "fabrication" published by the Mail and Guardian claiming that there are tensions between President Jacob Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa because the deputy president did not attend the ANC gala dinner on Friday night. “The newspaper goes on to claim that the absence of the Deputy President took other leaders by surprise and also mentions a lot of other gossip and innuendo. This is preposterous‚” the Presidency asserted in a statement on Saturday.It added that Ramaphosa was in Juba‚ South Sudan‚ in his capacity as a special envoy of President Zuma‚ as announced to the whole country before his departure.“He was supposed to arrive back in South Africa in time for the governing party dinner. However‚ his South African Air Force plane developed technical difficulties and he had to return back home commercially. He landed back around 1.30am in South Africa during which time the gala dinner had ended‚” the Presidency stated.It added the Department of Defence was “currently exploring solutions to the problems of the current SA Air Force planes that break down and cause inconvenience to the President and the Deputy President”...
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