Cyril Ramaphosa Discusses Food Security With Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Runup to the BRICS Summit

• The Presidency confirmed that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had a telephonic call with Russian President Vladimir Putin
• It is reported that the call was about food security and fertilisers in Africa in the context of the upcoming BRICS summit
• According to the Kremlin Press, the two leaders discussed issues of trade and investment and would remain in touch

According to South Africa’s Presidency, Cyril Ramaphosa had a very important phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin recently to discuss food security and fertilisers.

The Presidency has confirmed reports by the Kremlin press service that Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Cyril Ramaphosa had a telephonic conversation on Wednesday to discuss food security.

It is reported that the conversation centred around supplies of agricultural products and fertilisers to Africa after Russia's invasion of Ukraine scrambled global markets.

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Jacaranda FM reported that the conversation also included issues around trade and investment in the runup to the BRICS summit which will be hosted by China virtually next week.

Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, told News24 on Friday morning that the call took place and that the two leaders held a discussion on issues of trade and investment.

"Yes, the conversation took place in the context of the upcoming BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit. The two leaders discussed trade and investment between their respective countries," said Magwenya.

The Kremlin press statement explained that issues of food security, including supplies of Russian agricultural products and fertilisers to the African continent, in particular to South Africa, were discussed in detail.

"The importance of joint work within the framework of the BRICS group in order to further strengthen the role of this association in world politics and the economy was noted," the statement read.

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The Kremlin said Ramaphosa had initiated the call and that the two leaders had agreed to maintain contact.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africans must calm down

In another story, Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked South Africans to exercise calm as he faces backlash over criminal allegations after his Phala Phala farm was robbed in February 2020.

Ramaphosa made these remarks on the sidelines at the Youth Day commemoration in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Thursday. The president asked citizens to first wait for the law enforcement investigations to be completed.

According to SABC News, Ramaphosa stated that he has heeded the advice of members of Parliament who said processes should be allowed to unfold and after they are completed proper action can be taken. He added that it would be better to leave the matter alone until all investigations are completed.

Source: Briefly News