Botswana President Duma Boko Visits President Cyril Ramaphosa

• The president of Botswana, Duma Boko, visited South Africa, where he met with President Cyril Ramaphosa
• It was Boko's first visit to the country since he was elected in 2024, and the visit was focused on bilateral relations between the two countries
• The two presidents discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and the possibility of developing trade relations

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international relations, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his nine years of experience.

PRETORIA — Botswana's president Duma Boko visited South Africa on 29 April 2025 and met with President Cyril Ramaphosa. Netizens weighed in on the visit.

Why did Boko visit South Africa?

The Presidency posted a video of Ramaphosa and Boko briefing the media on the outcomes of the bilateral meeting. Ramaphosa said the visit enabled the two presidents to get to know one another and discuss issues of common interest.

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What did Cyril Ramaphosa say?

Ramaphosa said the two presidents committed to getting officials and ministers from both countries to start work on several issues to deal with in preparation for more official talks. He said both presidents have begun paving paths for both countries to begin working together. He said a strong foundation between both countries has been laid over the past years. He said both presidents want to advance trade, investment and good international relations.

What did Boko say?

Boko said the meeting was important as it marked the beginning of strengthening relations between the two countries. He said the countries have deep links and connections.

"The people are effectively one people, even affinities of language and families on both sides of the artificial divide we call the border," he said.

He said the two presidents got to know each other to begin work to deepen and strengthen the long-standing relations. He added that the work to build upon the already existing foundations will be done. These will include opening trade routes, links and other ways of collaborating to ensure mutual benefit for the people of both countries.

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The Economic Freedom fighters president Julius Malema attended Duma's inauguration in November 2024 after he was elected as the president of Botswana. Malema was banned by the previous administration and Boko lifted the ban.

The former Miss Botswana, Lesego Chombo, became the youngest minister appointed in his cabinet. She was appointed as the Minister of Youth and Gender, and expressed gratitude to be elected to the position.

Boko criticises South Africa's crime stats

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Boko questioned crime in South Africa. He made his comments during a speech at the World Economic Forum on 22 January 2025.

Boko questioned how safe the country was. The Gauteng MEC of Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, disagreed strongly with Boko. However, South Africans defended Boko and pointed out the crime statistics. They also slammed Maile.

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"Stop being emotional and accept that, as government, you are all failing to protect the country; hence, you spend billions on VIP protection," a netizen said.

Source: Briefly News