Pretoria – President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that he was “deeply saddened” by the air disaster that has claimed the lives of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and personnel.
President Raisi and Minister Amir-Abdollahian died when their helicopter crashed in East Azerbaijan while the leaders were en route back to Iran on Sunday, (19 May 2024).
“On behalf of the government and people of South Africa, President Ramaphosa offers his deep condolences to the Supreme Leader of Iran, The Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, and the government and people of the Islamic Republic,” said the Presidency in a terse statement.
“President Ramaphosa’s thoughts are with the families of the late President and Foreign Minister as well as the relatives of the personnel and air crew who perished.”
The Presidency recalled that in November 2015, when President Ramaphosa was deputy president he paid a working visit to Iran.
“This is an extraordinary, unthinkable tragedy that has claimed a remarkable leader of a nation with whom South Africa enjoys strong bilateral relations and whom we were honoured to welcome to the BRICS fold in Johannesburg in 2023,” President Ramaphosa said.
“Our hearts go out to the affected families and the administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“We join Iran in this moment of mourning.”
Meanwhile, AFP reports that the Iranian Red Crescent announced that rescue teams recovered the body of President Raisi and eight other individuals who were in the helicopter that crashed.
AFP further reported that the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Pir Hossein Kolivand, announced via state television, “We are transporting the bodies of the martyrs to Tabriz,” the capital of East Azerbaijan Province where the accident occurred, declaring the end of the search operations.
