President makes swift return amid Mahikeng protests
President Cyril Ramaphosa has cut his trip short to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London to attend to the protests that have engulfed Mahikeng in the North West province.
“To pay attention to the situation in the North West, the President has decided to cut short his participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London, where he is leading a government delegation,” said the Presidency in a statement on Thursday evening.
Protests and clashes between protesters and police in the North West have left the city of Mahikeng in a standstill.
The President was in the UK to rally investors to invest in South Africa in a bid to boost the country’s economy.
President Ramaphosa has called for calm and adherence to the rule of law in the province and has called on all aggrieved parties to express their grievances through peaceful means and engagement rather than violence and anarchy.
In addition to his plea to protesters, the President has also called on law enforcement agencies to exercise maximum restraint in execution of their duties to return calm and normality to the province.
The President made his return to the capital on Thursday.