PRETORIA - United States President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he was sending a "presidential delegation" to attend the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose African National Congress won re-election with a reduced majority on 8 May.
"Today [Thursday], President Donald J. Trump announced the designation of a presidential delegation to attend the inauguration of His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, president of the republic of South Africa," said the White House in a statement.
"The Honourable Kimberly A. Reed, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, will lead the delegation."
Other members of the presidential delegation include: Bonnie Glick, deputy administrator of the US Agency for International Development, Andrew Olmem deputy assistant to the president for economic policy and deputy director of the National Economic Council,
Jessica Lapenn, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, US Embassy Pretoria and Cyril Sartor, special assistant to the president and senior director for African affairs, National Security Council.
Earlier on Thursday, government's inter-ministerial committee planning the presidential inauguration said mainly heads of state and governments of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have been invited to witness the "auspicious occasion".
"The guests also include representatives from the continental regional economic blocks, former liberation movements, fraternal countries, the African Union, United Nations, members of the diplomatic corps and eminent persons and former presidents of the Republic," announced minister in the Presidency, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
"We have limited the invitation to the heads of state in line with our cost-cutting measures,"
The incoming president of South Africa will be sworn-in on Saturday, 25 May.