Deputy President Jacob Zuma will leave on Tuesday for Bujumbura to witness the inauguration there of Hutu president Domitien Ndayizeye, Zuma’s office said on Monday.
Zuma, the facilitator of the peace process in Burundi, will be accompanied by Defence Minister Mosioua Lekota and Intelligence Services Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
Ndayizeye, who is currently the vice-president, will be sworn in on Thursday to take over from Tutsi president Pierre Buyoya in terms of an August 2000 power-sharing arrangement. Ndayizeye will be president for 18 months before elections are held.
”The South African delegation is attending the inauguration ceremony to demonstrate and reaffirm the country’s unwavering commitment to assisting Burundi to return to peace, stability and democracy,” Zuma’s spokeswoman Lakela Kaunda said in a statement
”South Africa views the implementation of the agreement on leadership changeover at a Presidential level in Burundi as a significant and encouraging development, and a practical demonstration of the commitment of the Burundi people and political leaders to the peace process.”
Some 3500-strong peace troops from Ethiopia, Mozambique and South Africa are currently being deployed in Burundi as part of an African Union peacekeeping force to implement a ceasefire agreement between mainly Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-dominated army.
Some 200 000 people are estimated to have died in the nine year civil war in Burundi. ‒ Sapa