Issued by: Office of the President
DEPUTY PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI GOES ON LEAVE
Due to the recent intense programme that the Presidency has been engaged in, including preparations for the NEDLAC Summit, the Inter-governmental Forum, matters pertaining to fundamental steps to deal with crime and negotiations around events in erstwhile Zaire, the President and the Deputy President have taken an overview of their current schedules and agreed that Deputy President Thabo Mbeki should go on leave with immediate effect.
The President himself has had the opportunity in the recent period to take short breaks in-between the major engagements. This has not been the case with regard to the Deputy President; and given the heavy schedule in the month of June and later in the year, it was decided that this would be the appropriate moment for him to do so. He will be on leave for a fortnight from 27 May.
As a result, all the Deputy President's appointments in this period have either been cancelled or postponed.
We would like to assure the public that Mbeki is in good health; and he has spent most of today chairing the meeting of the Inter-governmental Forum in Pretoria.
26 May 1997
Issued by: President's Office.