President Cyril Ramaphosa's presence at Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa's poorly attended inauguration this month was 'procedural', says the deputy minister in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Candith Mashego-Dlamini has defended President Cyril Ramaphosa's presence at Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa's inauguration ceremony this month, telling MPs his attendance was "procedural."

Mashego-Dlamini was responding on Wednesday to questions from MPs after the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) had briefed the parliamentary international relations committee on its assessment of the outcome of the August elections in Zimbabwe, and South Africa's role as part of the Southern African Development Community's Electoral Observation Mission.

"Zimbabwe is a sovereign state and, therefore, if the election commission of Zimbabwe announced the winner of the election, as South Africa and as government, we had to congratulate, because that is their system, that is the system of Zimbabwe.

"So they've announced, the President has congratulated the winning president and also attended the inauguration, because it was procedural," Mashego-Dlamini replied to DA international relations spokesperson Emma Powell.

Powell had questioned Ramaphosa's "rush to congratulate" Mnangagwa, following the observer mission's sharply critical assessment of the elections.

Mnangagwa was sworn in on 4 September for a second term, following the disputed elections held on 23 August, and amid a low turnout of invited African leaders.

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