Lamola in US ahead of UN General Assembly

South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Lamola, has arrived in Washington, D.C., in the United States (US), to attend a series of engagements in the US capital before travelling to New York, where he will attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The policy-making organ of the UN will take place from next Tuesday until the 28th of this month.

South Africa will be among the more than 100 countries expected to deliberate and vote on global issues and will be looking to push its broader agenda of multilateralism and reform of global institutions.

But before the UNGA, Lamola will first attend a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation event and hold courtesy meetings with members of Congress.

His visit to the US comes just days after the Trump administration announced new visa restrictions targeting people it says are responsible for discriminatory policies in South Africa.

He arrives only days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the new visa policy, which has opened another front in an already strained relationship between Washington and Pretoria.

South Africa says the measures unfairly target laws designed to address the country’s historic racial inequalities and has defended its sovereign right to pursue those policies.

According to the UN, almost 130 Heads of State and Government will attend the UNGA in person to deliver their message to the world.

The theme for this year is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. – additional reporting by Sherwin Bryce-Peace