South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday met with his Zambian counterpart Edgar Lungu in Durban for talks over the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Lungu in his capacity as chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation was accompanied to South Africa by a host of Zambian leaders including Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Malanji, State House Press Secretary for Press & Public Relations, Amos Chanda and Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Emmanuel Mwamba.
President @CyrilRamaphosa met with Zambian President Edgar Lungu at JL Dube House, the President’s Durban residence. President Lungu, as SADC Chair of the Organ on Politics, Defence & Security Cooperation, is meeting the President over the DRC elections & related developments. pic.twitter.com/OOUkUGGFmM
— PresidencyZA (@PresidencyZA) January 9, 2019
The DR Congo held its long delayed presidential election on December 30, but a scheduled release of the result was delayed indefinitely, with the electoral body CENI citing logistical challenges.
The delay in the release of the result, compounded by conflicting information from the country’s political factions has stoked tension in the country whose politics remains very volatile.
The situation has prompted calls from regional and international bodies including SADC, the United Nations and the European Union to call for the release of “accurate” results that reflect the people’s will.
Should the election process move smoothly, the country will witness its first ever peaceful transfer of power since independence in 1960.
