Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa arrived safely in Kiev in Ukraine on Friday for the African peacekeeping mission, despite quite a few hiccups on the way to this war-torn country.
There was great drama on Wednesday and Thursday at a Polish airport in Warsaw where additional security and support staff as well as journalists were stranded for hours due to drama over, among other things, firearms permits.
The plane has since been given the green light to continue, reports News24. However, they have still not joined Ramaphosa.
Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, confirmed on Twitter that the unpleasant incident did not threaten the president’s safety, and that he is protected by his bodyguards in Ukraine.
(WATCH NOW): Presidential @SpokespersonRSA Vincent Magwenya provides an update on the African Peace Mission currently underway in Kiev, Ukraine, as well as the situation with the charter flight in Warsaw, Poland. #AfricanPeaceMission pic.twitter.com/ZtPACk1mLy
— Presidency | South Africa ???????? (@PresidencyZA) June 16, 2023
The drama began when Polish officials refused to allow the president’s protection unit to bring weapons into their country. Although the South African team insisted that they had the right documentation, officials apparently also wanted to take away their firearms.
The team, as well as a bunch of journalists, were consequently stranded on a plane at the Warsaw airport in Poland for about ten hours.
Maj. Gen. Wally Rhoode, head of Ramaphosa’s protection unit, lashed out in a video on social media, accusing Polish officials of being “racist” and “sabotaging” South Africa by refusing to allow staff and journalists to unload their equipment from the plane.
“They say we don’t have permits, we have permits. The difference is, they say we must have the original permits and not copies. Some of us have our original permits, others have copies. The embassy here printed out permits – they didn’t think it was necessary for original permits. Now it’s sudden,” Rhoode said late Thursday at the airport.
“They are slowing us down, they are jeopardizing the safety of our president. We could have already been in Kiev this afternoon (Thursday).”
Magwenya lamented the “worrying incident” and said South African authorities are in contact with their Polish counterparts to clarify the situation, so that the protection teams and members of the media can join the other African leaders and “at least with the Russia -been” of the peace mission can be present.
“We are deeply disturbed by the experience they had to endure.”
Ramaphosa and the African heads of state arrived in Kiev by train on Friday morning where they met with Ukraine’s pres. Volodymyr Zelenski will meet as part of the peace mission.
(ARRIVAL): His Excellency President @CyrilRamaphosa has arrived at Nemishaeve Railway Station in Ukraine and is received by Ukraine’s Special Envoy for Africa & the Middle East Ambassador Maksym Subhk and South African Ambassador to Ukraine Mr Andre Groenewald.… pic.twitter.com/Jk8V8n2v9O
— Presidency | South Africa ???????? (@PresidencyZA) June 16, 2023
These heads of state will be in St. Petersburg with pres. Vladimir Putin of Russia meets.
The delegation from Africa hopes to act as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia and includes leaders from South Africa, Senegal, the Comoros and Egypt.
#AfricanPeaceMission African Heads of State & Government participating in the Peace initiative are now at St Micheal’s Square in Mykhailivska, Ukraine, for a briefing by representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence. pic.twitter.com/BmLCD6u5bV
— Presidency | South Africa ???????? (@PresidencyZA) June 16, 2023
