Presidency confident that Jonas will fulfil his task in US
The South African government does not believe that US President Donald Trump is someone who holds grudges.
That was the word from the spokesperson for the presidency, Vincent Magwenya, who spoke on Tuesday during a briefing at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, where President Cyril Ramaphosa held a joint cabinet meeting to discuss critical matters affecting the Eastern Cape with provincial leaders.
This meeting was part of the government's effort to meet with all provinces.
Magwenya spoke about the relations between South Africa and the US and Mcebisi Jonas’ earlier comments about Trump following his appointment on Monday as Special Envoy to the US.
Jonas called Trump a racist, homophobe, and narcissist during a lecture in 2020.
Magwenya said the presidency believes that Jonas will be able to fulfill his tasks
“Jonas made those comments in his private capacity, while the former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool made those comments in his professional capacity,” Magwenya said, adding that the presidency believes he will fulfill his tasks.
Meanwhile, Premier Oscar Mabuyane also expressed concerns about the tariffs.
In his opening remarks, Mabuyane said the country needs to think long and hard about its position on the tariffs imposed on the country by Trump.
In a wide-ranging address, Mabuyane mentioned receiving a phone call from the CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa regarding the tariff issue.
In conclusion of his two-day visit to the City, Ramaphosa directed national departments to work with provincial departments, along with the relevant state agencies, to accelerate all catalytic development projects and urgently address all bureaucratic hurdles that hold back vital economic development.
These include rural road and water infrastructure projects and work to improve rail and port infrastructure.
In a statement, Ramaphosa expressed concern at the increasing levels of crime in the province and affirmed the urgent need for additional crime-fighting resources and capacity to deal with the scourge of crime impacting communities across the Eastern Cape.
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