South African officials say they were not informed that leaders of the M23 rebel group were in the country to attend a peace conference.
The representatives attended the African Peace and Security Dialogue in Magaliesburg, Gauteng, which was hosted by the Thabo Mbeki Foundation.
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola stated that his department was unaware the foundation had invited the rebel group. The government is now looking into how the visit was approved without its knowledge.
We discuss the implications of this incident with international relations expert, Dr. Kingsley Makhubela.