Blinken meets South Africa leader Ramaphosa, heads to Congo

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa before embarking on a flight to Congo to continue his three-nation tour of Africa. Blinken met Ramaphosa Tuesday morning for brief talks with South Africa’s International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor. The cordial meeting did not mask the differences between the U.S. and South Africa over Russia’s war in Ukraine. South Africa has remained neutral on the war and refused to criticize Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Blinken also marked South Africa’s Women’s Day holiday, marking the day in 1956 when South African women of all races marched to the capital, Pretoria, to protest apartheid, the system that oppressed the Black majority and ended in 1994.