South Africa was honoured to have been part of uniting warring factions and bringing peace to South Sudan, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday.

''We can now say that the guns of war have been silenced in South Sudan,'' Ramaphosa said while answering questions in the National Assembly.

The country had emerged from colonialism and war, to where it knew it could have permanent peace.

“I'm sure that as South Africans we can be proud that we made a contribution to the rebuilding of a nation that was devastated by war.”

Ramaphosa said he had just been on a working visit to Juba, South Sudan, where he was part of a team that helped warring factions of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) unite.

As a result, all SPLM factions returned to Juba and a transitional government was formed.

The task now was to rebuild in the region and help hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people.“The people of South Sudan deserve the peace,” he said.

Because of the war, the devaluation of the Sudanese Pound, and the low oil price, South Sudan had to overcome serious problems to avoid famine.

South Africa would continue helping to ensure that the country functioned well and received institutional support.

Ramaphosa said other parties involved included Tanzanian ruling party secretary general Abdulrahman Kinana.