The Presidency says President Cyril Ramaphosa did not know that a person wanted by South African law enforcement was among those present during his recent visit to Zimbabwe. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya clarified after reports emerged that one of the people at the meeting was of interest to authorities in South Africa.

Ramaphosa visited Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa at his private farm on Sunday for talks on bilateral interests. But the visit has since drawn attention because Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo was also present. Chivayo’s assets have been frozen in South Africa, and he is under investigation by the Hawks for money laundering, according to the report.

Magwenya says Ramaphosa had no prior knowledge

Speaking at a media briefing in Parliament, Magwenya said the Presidency had noted the reports “with concern”. He said Ramaphosa had no prior knowledge of who would be present during the visit and was not familiar with the individual now being identified as a person of interest to law enforcement.

That response is significant because it draws a clear line between the president’s diplomatic engagement with Mnangagwa and the controversy around who else attended. The Presidency’s message is that Ramaphosa’s visit was about state interests, not the individuals who may have been present around the meeting. That is an inference based on Magwenya’s explanation of the visit and Ramaphosa’s lack of prior knowledge.

Chivayo’s presence shifts focus onto the visit

The controversy now centres less on the fact of the Zimbabwe trip and more on the company Ramaphosa kept while there. Chivayo is a prominent Zimbabwean businessman whose legal troubles in South Africa have already placed him under scrutiny. His presence at a meeting involving two presidents has now turned what might have passed as a routine bilateral engagement into a politically sensitive issue.

For the Presidency, the risk is reputational. Even if Ramaphosa did not know who would be present, the optics of being seen alongside a businessman wanted by South African authorities are difficult to ignore. That is especially true at a time when public trust in political accountability remains fragile. This is an inference based on the report’s facts and the public sensitivity around law enforcement matters.

Questions remain over unofficial diplomacy

The EWN report frames the visit as a working one focused on bilateral interests, but it also shows how quickly unofficial or semi-private diplomatic encounters can become politically complicated. Once reports surfaced about Chivayo’s presence, the Presidency was forced to respond publicly and explain that Ramaphosa had no prior knowledge of the guest list.

For now, the core fact remains straightforward: the Presidency says Ramaphosa did not know that one of the Zimbabwean delegates was wanted in South Africa. But the episode has opened fresh questions about political judgment, diplomatic settings and how much control South African leaders have over who appears alongside them in sensitive meetings.