South African government split over Ukraine invasion - reports

South African news outlets are reporting sharp differences between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor over Russia's military incursion into Ukraine.

News 24 reported (paywall) that Ms Pandor "raised the ire" of Mr Ramaphosa after her department issued a statement calling for Russia's immediate withdrawal from Ukraine.

It quoted unnamed insiders as saying that he insisted that the South African government would not take sides in the war.

The news site added that the governing African National Congress' international relations subcommittee is expected to throw the book at Mr Pandor during a meeting on Monday.

The Sunday Times reported that the president was "unhappy" about the strongly worded statement, with sources close to him claiming it “contradicts” SA’s position.

“The president did not see the statement before it was issued and does not agree with it. There are people within Dirco [Department of International Relations and Cooperation] with an agenda that we must be enemies with Russia," the Sunday Times quoted an unnamed source as saying.

Ms Pandor’s spokesman Lunga Ngqengelele told the paper he was unaware of the president being unhappy about the statement, and the call for the withdrawal of troops was to "give a chance for negotiations to take place".

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