Cyril Ramaphosa has downplayed possible tensions with his Botswana counterpart Mokgweetsi Masisi over the presence in South Africa of the neighbouring country's former president, Ian Khama.

Former president of Botswana Ian Khama has been in South Africa for the past five months and failed to appear in court in Gaborone on Thursday last week on charges of unlawfully possessing a firearm, claiming he fears for his safety should he return to his home country.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa admitted that current president Mokgweetsi Masisi brought up this issue during a tête à tête on Friday. The face-to-face meeting between the two leaders delayed the scheduled start of SA-Botswana binational commission official discussions -- attended by ministers and officials from both countries -- by about an hour.

"We only discussed it to the extent of him informing me that charges have been preferred against the former president here in South Africa," Ramaphosa said after he saw Masisi off at the Department of International Relations headquarters in Pretoria.

This was in response to a question by Daily Maverick about whether South Africa was being perceived as harbouring a fugitive from justice.

"Former president Khama is here on a visit, so we...