South African President Cyril Ramaphosa walks onto stage to deliver a closing address as the re-elected president of the African National Congress (ANC) during the 55th national conference of the ANC in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Dec. 20, 2022. (Xinhua)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has canceled his trip to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos to address the energy crisis in the country, the president's spokesperson said.
JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has canceled his trip to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos to address the energy crisis in the country, the president's spokesperson said.
Ramaphosa was supposed to join other world leaders and the business community at Davos, Switzerland, for the Jan. 16-20 forum.
This photo shows the exterior view of the Congress Center for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)
"Due to the ongoing energy crisis, President Cyril Ramaphosa has cancelled his working visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Currently the president is convening a meeting with leaders of political parties represented in parliament, NECCOM and the Eskom board," said the spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, in a post on social media Sunday.
NECCOM stands for the National Energy Crisis Committee; Eskom is South Africa's state power utility.
South Africa has been experiencing frequent power shortages, sometimes for more than six hours a day.
On Saturday, the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party in the country, called on South Africans to join a protest march to "voice their anger" at the situation. ■
