COMMONWEALTH MEETING
TIM COHEN: Tea, royal patter and enlightened ideas at London powwow
The powerhouse countries of the Commonwealth, notably Canada and Australia, and to an extent SA, really built themselves as countries by being members of the British Commonwealth
It’s easy to write off President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in London. Until I saw SA’s new president waltzing around Buck Pal to chat with the head of the organisation, I had the impression I was the only person in SA who thought the Commonwealth was worth saving and nurturing. I have actually attended two Chogms (Commonwealth heads of government meetings). The first was in Harare soon after the release of Nelson Mandela, which was where the Commonwealth decided to formally endorse democracy and good governance. In a typical Chogm interaction, I was sitting at a bar chatting with a friendly guy and I asked him what he did for crust. "I’m the president of Papua New-Guinea," he said. I blushed. The second I attended was in Edinburgh in the late 2000s, and on this occasion I met Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Princess Margaret. It was with a small group of international journalists, and we had, inevitably, tea. I wish I knew then what I...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.