'i Won't Get Into The Mud' With Paul Kagame On Drc, Ramaphosa Declares

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will not get into the mud with fellow heads of state following recent claims by Rwandan President Paul Kagame on the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo DRC.

In late January, Kagame accused South African officials and Ramaphosa of distortion, deliberate attacks and even lies regarding his telephone conversations with Ramaphosa.

If words can change so much from a conversation to a public statement, it says a lot about how these very important issues are being managed, he wrote on X.

At a State of the Nation Address SONA presidential golf challenge on Friday 7 February, Ramaphosa refused to comment on Kagames claim.

As a head of state, I am not in the habit of getting in the mud and arguing with other people or other heads of state. Matters of importance are discussed properly behind closed doors. So, Im not going to get into the mud, he told reporters.

In his statement, Kagame took issue with Ramaphosas reference to the Rwanda Defence Force as a militia that, along with the M23 rebel group, was engaging the Armed Forces of the DRC FARDC and attacking peacekeepers from the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo SAMIDRC.

The South African Defence Force, which is part of SAMIDRC, lost 14 troops in the conflict. At a media briefing, Defence Minister Angie Motshekga said Ramaphosa had issued a warning to various actors in the conflict to stop firing at SANDFs base.

President Ramaphosa has never given a warning of any kind, unless it was delivered in his local language which I do not understand. President Ramaphosa confirmed to me that M23 did not kill the soldiers from South Africa, FARDC did, Kagame countered.

If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, that is well and good, but South Africa is in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator. And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day.

The two heads of state will attend a joint summit between the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community on the DRC situation this weekend. It will take place in Tanzania.