Zuma's off to Ethiopia‚ Ramaphosa to Switzerland - Two leaders divide the workload

President Jacob Zuma will head a South African delegation to the African Union Summit in Ethiopia while the country's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead a team to the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Switzerland later this month‚ the presidency said on Wednesday.

Presidency spokesman Bongani Ngqulunga said President Zuma will be in Addis Ababa for the summit‚ scheduled to take place from 22-29 January 2018.

Zuma will attend the African Peer Review Mechanism/Nepad sessions on 27 January and the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union scheduled to take place 28-29 January 2018.

Ramaphosa meanwhile will head to the WEF annual meeting that will take place on 23-26 January in Davos-Klosters.

The meeting will take place under the theme; “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World”‚ and will promote renewed commitment to international collaboration as a way of solving critical global challenges. The meeting will bring together over 2‚500 leaders from business‚ government‚ international organisations‚ civil society‚ academia and the arts‚ the presidency said.

Ramaphosa‚ the newly elected ANC president‚ led the delegation to the 2017 Davos meeting as well in his capacity as SA's deputy president.

The South African delegation will comprise Ministers and business leaders‚ with the Minister of Finance‚ Malusi Gigaba‚ as the lead Minister and coordinator.

"President Jacob Zuma has wished the delegation well in the annual meeting which provides an important platform to market and showcase the country to global business and other key international stakeholders‚" said Ngqulunga.