SA-Rwanda relations in ruins after Lindiwe Sisulu called a ‘prostitute’

Rushyashya, a pro-government Rwandan website run mainly by the country’s military intelligence personnel, called International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu a “prostitute”, amid a diplomatic breakdown following her decision to meet with a former Rwandan army chief who has been exiled and is critical of current president Paul Kagame.

She recently disclosed at a press conference that she had met with General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa in Johannesburg, expressing that she was “pleasantly surprised” to find him amenable to negotiating a reconciliation deal with his former government.

Nyamwasa has been exiled in South Africa since 2010, where he has established a Rwandan opposition party.

READ MORE: Lindiwe Sisulu in DRC for binational commission

Sisulu was referred to as “Mr Nyamwasa’s prostitute” in the headline of a story on Rushyashya.

She was also criticised on Twitter by Rwandan deputy foreign minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, although she was not named in the tweet.

Nduhungirehe said South Africa is free to negotiate with a “convicted criminal” who is “leading a subversive movement”, but must not involve Rwanda in this “negotiation”.

The incident has caused a breakdown in relations between South Africa and Rwanda. These relations have only recently begun the process of becoming normalised, following diplomatic tension between the two countries dating back to 2010.

The breakdown in relations was reportedly as a result of Rwandan fugitives using South Africa as their base for subversive operations.

Things deteriorated to the point that in 2014, diplomats were expelled from both countries by the other. Since then, though, the two countries have undertaken to mend fences, with Rwanda’s minister of foreign affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, saying in June 2016 that the relationship between the countries was “unquestionably normalising”.

Sisulu’s meeting with General Nyamwasa has, it seems, set us back to 2010, leading to the suspension of the normalisation process.

The foreign minister told BBC that the insults directed towards her are “unacceptable” and “must stop”.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.