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| President Jonathan receiving Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula |
President
Jonathan received today [Mar. 15] received
a special envoy from the South African President to convey goodwill messages.
Nigeria and South Africa vowed on Thursday to work to improve
relations after a diplomatic row sparked by yellow fever vaccinations.
Jonathan held
talks with an eight-member South African delegation led by Correctional
Services Minister Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula, sent as President Jacob Zuma’s special envoy following the
row, a statement from Jonathan’s office said.
Jonathan “spoke
about the need for South Africa and Nigeria to cooperate to provide leadership
for Africa,” the statement said, while also calling for the revival of a
bi-national commission between the two continental giants to improve relations.
The commission is expected to meet
in a month in South Africa.
The South African minister said the
deportations were not approved by Zuma
nor his government, adding that the matter was being investigated.
Speaking to reporters after the
meeting, the envoy said she had “a very good discussion with both the president
and the minister of foreign affairs”.
She said “there was no deliberate
attack on the integrity on the people of Nigeria… We are currently conducting
an investigation and we have announced in South Africa that there will be
consequences for whoever took that decision".
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