Ramaphosa off to the UK for British Queen Elizabeth II's funeral

President Cyril Ramaphosa will be attending the funeral of the late queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Queen Elizabeth II. 

The queen's funeral will be held on Monday. 

Ramaphosa's office said he would be arriving in London on Sunday, where he would attend the king's reception, which will be hosted by King Charles, who ascended the throne after his mother's death last week. 

She died in Balmoral Castle in Scotland last week at the age of 96.

Ramaphosa's office said he was among the heads of states and government officials who were invited to her funeral service taking place at her primary residence, Buckingham Palace.

“Immediately after the state funeral service, the UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, will host a reception for heads of state and government and other distinguished guests in the precincts of Westminster Abbey,” Ramaphosa's office said.

This would be one of Ramaphosa's stops as he embarks on a working tour to the US and UK.

He departs on Wednesday for Washington DC in the US, where he will honour an invitation by his US counterpart, President Joe Biden.

“The leaders will meet at the White House on Friday,  September 16, to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, including trade and investment, climate change, food security, energy, and peace and security.

“President Ramaphosa will reaffirm the importance of the strategic and mutually beneficial relations between SA and the US. The president will further emphasise the need for enhanced multilateralism and dialogue as the means through which the challenges facing humanity can be addressed. These include the urgent need to stimulate economic recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic,” his office said.

While in Washington, he and his delegation will also meet members of the Civil Rights Movement, which played a role in educating Americans about the impact of apartheid as SA struggled for liberation.. 

Emphasising the importance of this meeting, Ramaphosa's office said the US is SA’s third largest trading partner (after China and the EU), with more than 600 US companies operating in SA.

In 2021, the US ranked as the second largest destination for SA’s exports globally.

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