The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, aged 73, returned to South Africa on Monday after participating in the summit of developing economies. The presidential office stated in a release that doctors advised him to rest and recover.
Ramaphosa requested that ministers represent him at scheduled events whenever possible, he specified.
Ramaphosa's absence occurs while the Vice President of South Africa, Paul Mashatile, continues to recover from a minor medical operation. Thus, the country is temporarily without two of its top political leaders during a period of rising political tension as local elections approach on November 4th.
Leaders of the BRICS bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, concluded a two-day summit in New Delhi on Sunday. Discussions at the summit focused on inclusive global growth and the situation in the Middle East.