SA regrets UK's announcement on development aid

Spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Clayson Monyela, said on Tuesday, 30 April 2013, it was a major decision with far reaching implications on the projects that were currently running.

He said it was "tantamount to redefining our relationship".

This comes after the BBC reported that British International Development Secretary Justine Greening was set to announce that the UK would stop giving direct aid to South Africa in 2015.

The UK government's aid programme to South Africa is currently worth £19 million a year and has focused on reducing the mortality rate among women giving birth, as well as supporting businesses, said the report.

The BBC report said that Greening was expected to announce that the UK's relationship with South Africa should now be based on trade and not development.

She was to make the announcement at a conference of African ministers and business leaders in London on Tuesday, said the BBC.

Monyela said ordinarily, the UK government should have informed the government of South Africa through official diplomatic channels of their intentions and allowed for proper consultations to take place, and the modalities of the announcement agreed on.

He added that a SA/UK bilateral forum was scheduled for later this year and that he was looking forward to the meeting to "clear up this matter".

"We have a SA/UK Bilateral Forum which is scheduled for some time this year and the review of the SA/UK strategy which includes the Official Development Aid, would take place there and decisions about how to move forward were expected to be discussed in that forum.

"This unilateral announcement no doubt will affect how our bilateral relations going forward will be conducted," said Monyela.