South Africa President criticised for Davos panel no-show

chika ebuzor

January 22, 2016 8:23 AM

Conference organisers were yet to respond to Reuters' questions on the timing of the president's withdrawal from the event.

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma is pictured during his visit to the Lodewyk P. Spies Old Age Home in Eersterust, Pretoria, December 15, 2015. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

South African President Jacob Zuma missed a Davos panel talk on Africa on Thursday, the continent's top showcase at the alpine gathering, prompting questions about his commitment to drumming up interest in his country's struggling economy.

Zuma's office denied he was a 'no-show' at the discussion, which featured Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, saying it had told Davos organisers last week of a "scheduling change".

It also dismissed as "inaccurate and mischievous" a domestic media report that Zuma had only pulled out of the event late on Wednesday, and said South Africa's delegation was being well-received at the event.

"The message that South Africa is open for business is being communicated by the President, Ministers and business leaders in all sessions in Davos," it said in a statement.

In Zuma's absence, South Africa had no representation on the CNBC-sponsored Africa panel. Instead, he attended a bilateral meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to discuss "warm and strong bilateral relations".

When contacted by Reuters to ask why Zuma was not on the Africa panel as scheduled, spokesman Bongani Majola reacted by saying: "Are you sure about that?"

Davos organisers were yet to respond to Reuters' questions on the timing of the president's withdrawal from the event.

Zuma, a 73-year-old Zulu traditionalist with no formal education, has long been criticised for his leadership, with opponents saying he lacks the skills and understanding to run a sophisticated emerging market economy.

The concerns have deepened over the last year as Pretoria has struggled to deal with a slump in the price of commodities such as platinum, coal and iron ore that has hit growth and the currency, the rand.

chika ebuzor