Macron arrived from a historic visit to Rwanda where he acknowledged French responsibility in the 1994 genocide.
The leaders, say Ramaphosa’s office, are also expected to discuss a temporary waiver of World Trade Organisation property rights over coronavirus vaccine. Ramaphosa this month sounded the alarm about what he called “vaccine apartheid” between rich countries and poor ones. The industry “is highly concentrated in the United States, Europe, Asia and a little bit in Latin America,” a Macron aide said.
But just one percent of its population of 59 million have been vaccinated — most of them health workers and people aged 60 or above. His push for the visit stems from the fact that South Africa “is a major partner on the continent, a member of the G20, it’s regularly invited to the G7 — it’s essential in the approach to multilateralism,” one of his aides said before the trip.Macron will also make a pitch for French business in South Africa, especially in climate-friendly sectors.