I was showing the king a book‚ not kneeling before him - Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has again tried to explain a picture doing the rounds‚ showing him kneeling in front of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini.

Addressing journalists after his international trip to Nigeria‚ Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates this week‚ Ramaphosa said the picture was taken out of context.

“I find it quite laughable... it is laughable that people see how I was showing the king my book‚ I wrote a book on cattle‚ and I was showing the king my book. He was seated‚ it was just a posture and people are suggesting that I was kneeling before the king‚” said Ramaphosa.

He said it was a complete untruth to suggest that he was kneeling before Zwelithini.

“If anything‚ they should say ‘look at the president‚ he is showing the king his book on cattle’. That’s what they should be applauding‚ rather than casting negative aspersions‚” said Ramaphosa.

The picture started doing the rounds on social media after Ramaphosa visited Zwelithini to speak to him about his concerns about Ingonyama Trust.

This followed an Imbizo of the Zulu nation where calls for the cessation of KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa were made following a recommendation by a panel headed by former president Kgalema Motlanthe that the Ingonyama Trust be dissolved.

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