South African president Cyril Ramaphosa was conspicuously absent Thursday at the formal opening of this years World economic forum in Africa.
Instead as the meeting opened the organisers tendered an apology for his absence saying he has been called to parliament to answer questions.
His minister Tito Mboweni is standing in for the president.
A name tag for Ramaphosa had been prominently placed on a sit which had been reserved for him beside that for Amina Mohammed the Nigerian at the United Nations in New York
