Johannesburg - A British publication has reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa was called a “dreadful fellow” following his address to the British Parliament and the royal gallery of the House of Lords during a joint sitting held at the Palace of Westminster in London.
Last week’s visit to the UK was the umpteenth international trip where Ramaphosa urged members of the international community to reach for their wallets and invest in the country’s just transition and ailing economy.
Ramaphosa’s state visit came after King Charles III extended an invitation to Ramaphosa who became the King’s first visitor after he was crowned two months ago. Ramaphosa addressed the British MPs, parliamentarians and members of the royal gallery of the House of Lords.
During his address, Ramaphosa called for Britain to join hands with South Africa in rebuilding the country’s struggling economy and its effort to realise its transition from coal to green energy.
He said assistance should come in the form of concessional loans and grants adding that developed nations should take responsibility for their role in the current climate crisis and assist less developed nations such as South Africa.
“As we strive to rebuild our economy in the wake of the pandemic and the era of state capture, as we work to create employment and economic opportunities for the 11 million South Africans who are without work, we are opening up new frontiers of growth and production … as we undertake the most significant restructuring of our energy market in almost a century to address severe power shortages. There are great opportunities for investment, innovation and partnership,” he said.
In a “Times” and “Sunday Times” column, veteran journalist Quentin Letts decried Ramaphosa’s less than subtle ways of asking for money.
“Visiting heads of state are usually subtler about asking for money, but Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, was quick to business when he addressed the joint houses of parliament.
“Ramaphosa, not one of life’s charmers, demanded that Britain cough up for historical industrial emissions … get out your cheque books.
“Actually, from what one hears about Ramaphosa, folding stuff might be preferable,” Letts says in his column which appeared in “The Times” on Wednesday.
It is reported that royal heads who were in attendance were taken aback by Ramaphosa’s request for donations with some of them whispering that he was a “dreadful fellow”.
Letts said Ramaphosa sat motionless while speaker of the house of commons Lindsay Hoyle delivered a speech about the legacy of Nelson Mandela, saying it seemed as though Ramaphosa was longing for someone to speak so fondly about him.
“Hoyle delivered a tidy speech, much of it about Mandela …Ramaphosa sat expressionless. He possibly longs for the day when someone makes a speech about him.
“His own speech, not short, was light with diplomatic anecdotes and historical perspectives normal at these events. Instead, he banged on about poverty, diseased water, power cuts and how a transfer of substantial resources was needed from rich countries (i.e. US) to low and medium-income countries (i.e. him),” Letts writes in his column.
Shortly after this, Letts said a media colleague heard someone whisper: “What a dreadful fellow”. They may be unfair, but Ramaphosa certainly misread the room.
The Star