Foreign Affairs summons S.A envoy

KIGALI - The Minister of Foreign Affair, Louise Mushikiwabo, yesterday summoned the South African High Commissioner to Rwanda, Gladstone Dumisani Gwadiso, to express her government’s concerns over the manner in which investigations into the shooting of renegade Gen. Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa are being conducted. Nyamwasa, Rwanda’s former Ambassador to India was shot by an unidentified gunman last month in South Africa. Since then, there have been several controversial reports on the shooting. “I summoned the Ambassador to express serious concerns in terms of how the investigations are being conducted. We have been seeing in the media, South African officials implicating Rwanda in the shooting, which is totally wrong and untrue,” said Mushikiwabo. “Rwanda and South Africa have enjoyed good relations for the last sixteen years, but we are surprised by the manner in which investigations are being conducted which is very unprofessional.” The Minister added that; “officials are not supposed to speculate whatsoever; they are giving signals implicating the government of Rwanda yet they are supposed to let the investigation take its course”. Mushikiwabo also tabled before the envoy, Rwanda’s protest of how some of its citizens are being mistreated in South Africa in relation to the Nyamwasa incident. “We are protesting the manner in which our citizen, Francis Gakwerere is being treated. He was arrested as a suspect but later released. Since then, the South African authorities have confiscated his property with no genuine explanation,” said the Minister. Some of the property that were illegally confiscated from Gakwerere, a businessman, include his wallet, money, identification documents and watch She added that Rwanda was concerned by the possible manipulation of the investigations by Nyamwasa and his entourage, pointing out that his brother-in-law took part in interrogations of at the John Foster High Risk Prison. Other concerns raised by the minister included the delayed arrest and questioning of Nyamwasa’s driver, yet he had confessed of being involved in a plot to kill his boss. “We are interested in this case since Nyamwasa is a Rwandan wanted by the Rwandan judicial authorities on serious crimes and that why we want absolute transparency in his shooting. “We also want our citizens to be treated duly until proved guilty,” said Mushikiwabo. Ends

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Foreign Affairs summons S.A envoy