President Cyril Ramaphosa will not be attending the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday because he will be attending a summit in Bujumbura, Burundi.

The coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey in London.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: “There was an invite [extended to the president], which was declined due to the Burundi commitment. Minister [Naledi] Pandor has been delegated to attend.”

Magwenya said Ramaphosa will be participating in the 11th high-level segment of the regional oversight mechanism (ROM) for the peace, security and co-operation (PSC) framework for the Democratic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region.

The summit will take place from Thursday to Saturday.

“The PSC framework’s key mandate is to end recurring cycles of devastating conflict in eastern DRC which impact on stability and development in the region. The framework also aims at addressing the root causes of conflict in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region,” said Magwenya.

He said the PSC framework, otherwise known as the Addis Ababa Agreement, was signed on February 24 2013 through an AU/UN-brokered agreement aimed at stabilising the DRC. Signatories included Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

In early 2014, Kenya and Sudan also became signatories.

“The summit will take place against the backdrop of the deteriorating political and security situation in the eastern DRC caused by a resurgence of the M23 movement that has led to tensions between the DRC and Rwanda.”

Magwenya said the summit will receive an update on initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions between the two countries. It will also deliberate on the deployment of East African Community (EAC) troops and their role in dealing with negative forces in the eastern DRC, especially the M23.

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the PSC framework, the summit will focus on its revitalisation and consider a plan to enable this.

“The current crisis caused by the clashes between Sudan Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces will likely be discussed,” said Magwenya.