Pretoria: President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed former Deputy Finance Minister, Mcebisi Jonas, as his Special Envoy to the United States. In his new role, Jonas will serve as the official representative of the President and the government of South Africa.
According to South African Government News Agency, Jonas is entrusted with the responsibility to advance South Africa’s diplomatic, trade, and bilateral priorities. He will lead negotiations, foster strategic partnerships, and engage with US government officials and private-sector leaders to promote the nation’s interests, as outlined by President Ramaphosa in a statement.
The President highlighted Jonas’s significant role as one of four Presidential Investment Envoys appointed in 2018 to facilitate investment into South Africa. He emphasized Jonas’s extensive governmental experience as a former Deputy Finance Minister, noting that Jonas will continue to serve as the Independent Non-Executive Chairman of the MTN Group alongside his new diplomatic responsibilities.
President Ramaphosa remarked that Jonas’s appointment underscores his distinguished career and ongoing commitment to advancing South Africa’s national and economic interests. He reiterated the importance of the historical and strategic relationship between South Africa and the United States and expressed his commitment to rebuilding and maintaining this relationship based on mutual respect and benefit for both nations.
Meanwhile, a delegation of senior officials, led by South Africa’s Group of 20 (G20) Sherpa and the Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Zane Dangor, recently visited the United States. The delegation met with US officials to clarify South Africa’s expropriation and equity laws and engaged with senior officials at the White House and the State Department to address key bilateral priorities.