Supplied
The South African government does not believe that US President Donald Trump is someone who holds grudges.
That was the word from the presidency's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, who spoke on Tuesday during a briefing at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, where President Cyril Ramaphosa held a joint cabinet meeting with provincial leaders to discuss critical matters affecting the Eastern Cape.
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 commented earlier 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 Jonas will be able to fulfil 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 fulfil 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.
Mabuyane mentioned receiving a phone call from the CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa regarding the tariff issue in a wide-ranging address.
In conclusion of his two-day visit to the City, Ramaphosa directed national departments to work with provincial departments and 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 crime levels 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.
