Ramaphosa pulls out of radio show after gender violence protest
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa withdrew from the Chairman's Conversation, a signature annual event hosted by Power FM radio station, because of allegations the station's owner, Given Mkhari, assaulted his wife.
Photo by GCIS. Shared by GovernmentZA on flickr.
Ramaphosa’s withdrawal, announced less than an hour before the show was due to start, comes just as South Africa starts its annual 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children campaign. Mkhari and his wife, Ipeleng, were arrested in 2018 after raising charges of assault against each other. Those were later withdrawn.
“The Presidency emphasises that the non-participation of President Ramaphosa should not be read as an endorsement of the untested allegations raised by the civil society organisations but a carefully weighed up decision taken in the public interest,” his office said.
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