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this year’s 101st edition of the Harare Agricultural Show. Initially, the Show was supposed to be opened by President Salvar Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan but this has changed after he communicated to the Government of Zimbabwe that he would not be able to come due to urgent commitments back home.
Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba yesterday confirmed the change.
Mr Charamba said it was too late for the Government to find another guest.
“This year’s Harare Agricultural Show was supposed to be opened by President Mayardit of South Sudan. The Zimbabwean Government has since got communication from the South Sudan President
regretting that he may not be able to come and this owing to some very urgent and demanding business that has detained him back home.
“The President is actually going to open the Agricultural Show. Because it’s too late for the Zimbabwean Government to find another guest, the President is going to open the show,” he said.
It is understood that the new African state was facing a host of challenges since the inauguration of President Mayardit.
Firstly, President Mayardit has not yet completed the constitution of his Cabinet almost two months after he was sworn in as the South Sudan Head of State and Government.
Another challenge that South Sudan is widely believed to be facing is that of managing its oil which passes through North Sudan to reach the world market.
Close sources said North Sudan has been wreaking havoc on the finances of the South by interfering with the flow of crude oil because all pipelines pass through the North en-route to world markets.
In this regard, the North is also manipulating oil remittances and this could mean that it has the capacity to destabilise the Government of South Sudan.
To resolve the challenges, authoritative sources close to the developments said President Mayardit was engaging the North on the management of oil exports and proceeds.
“The President of South Sudan is actually engaged in very delicate talks with his counterpart President Omar al Bashir regarding harmonising relations especially over management of oil exports and proceeds,” said the source.
It is also understood that South Sudan was also facing internal security challenges that needed urgent Government attention.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter