Security personnel stranded as President Ramaphosa's entourage faces travel setbacks

Most of the security personnel who were meant to be accompanying President Ramaphosa will now be returning home to South Africa. The Presidential Protection Unit along with journalists were held up in Poland on a plane on the tarmac at an airport in Warsaw for more than 24 hours. This after Polish officials rejected the paperwork for weapons that were on board, reportedly wanting original permits not copies.

Now, the plan chartered by the South African government for the next leg failed to get clearance to fly to Russia.

To discuss this, we're joined by SABC News Reporter, Samkele Maseko.

[dawnvandeventer]

Ramaphosa can't build anything here in S.A but he wants to hold peace talks overseas. What an embarrassment!

[tweet]

Ramaphosa must clean his own backyard before making peace in Ukraine/Russia.

[stonefish]

He should be in South Africa sorting our problems out . Don’t worry about the rest of the worlds problems . We have enough problems

[nondumisokunene]

What a joke! So unprofessional of SA planning.

[thomasgosling]

With so many SA citizens being slaughtered in South Africa, the ANC should rather stay home and sort out its own mess before getting involved in others.

[gedenironald]

The Polish government should have detained them for 14 days, interrogated them everyday nonstop. They should have detained Ramaphosa and interrogated him for 5 hours nonstop then release him and expel him from the country. Any thinking person who really think that these clowns who can not solve a civil war going on in Sudan and a civil war going on in Congo for over 10 years and these clowns could not stop NATO bombing of Libya is just a clown himself. The president of South Africa Mr. Ramaphosa can't solve the power crisis in South Africa, he can't solve extreme high number of violent t crime, extreme high number of unemployment but for some reason this is a man you believe he can solve a war the Europeans cant.

[summer]

South Africa just found out that it's irrelevant on the international stage. What an embarrassment.

[terryvarta]

The security guards were offered to disembark if they left their guns but they refused. The issue with guns is not only Poland's decision, it is an EU law to bring original gun permits not copies. Trying to bring the USA into this is just plain stupid. Stop politicizing everything

[tshepolegodi]

Over 120 delegates for what? This ANC government aikhona

[musandasikhwivhilu]

If this was done by South Africa, our own media was going to be critical of the government.

[kobusvanstaden]

So it's America's fault that you rocked up with photocopies? Rediculous clutching at straws

[royramnath]

Can somebody please explain if the issue was with the weapons permit, then why were the journalists kept hostage for more than 24 hours on the plane.

[CAMSTUDIO-kjvn]

What was Samkelo doing in Presidential plane, that’s how our journalists are captured😢😮

[gavinvdm]

Too many of them there enjoying a free trip sponsored by the taxpayer

[Moondancer]

Why is it that the race card always has to be played?? Is it not conceivable that the Polish authorities would have behaved like this regardless of the nationality of the plane?? No doubt their behaviour was appalling & inhumane but why didn’t the stupid government not get the correct permits? The fact that Samkelo is insinuating that the ‘West’ is to blame is very worrying & he should appreciate the fact trade with the US far surpasses that of Russia. Supporting a country which invades a sovereign country is dangerous & tells the’West’ where your loyalties lie, to the detriment of your own country. Having this misplaced ‘loyalty’ to Putin for aiding in the ‘struggle’ Is absolutely ridiculous & if they think Russia has any honourable intentions towards us, they are highly mistaken. The Soviet Union was just another failed Communist state which the ANC regard as their benchmark & are trying to push us into. They must wake up & stop destroying our country by their stupid, archaic thinking.

[theov]

A failed mission... Fruitless expenditure.... Waste of taxpayer money. Total incompetence like the municipalities and government departments in South Africa. Nothing new. Wally is an embarrassment and dare to mention that they only have copies of the permits for the weapons and not the original documents. Obviously not the sharpest pencil in the packet.

[WangAiHua]

Ramaphosa's war party was not needed for his "peace" mission!

[Evie-cxsw]

WHAT A Circus 😂😂😂 AN ABSOLUTE WASTE OF SA TAX

[Vuyisani]

Is Samkelo saying Poland believes South Africa was trying to smuggle weapons to Russia under the guise of a Peace Tour?

[Nelson_Mandela_]

You wasted our money flying to hostile nations 🤦🏿‍♀️ look now you're just sitting down on the runway. How much was this chartered flight?