Dr Riek Machar, leader of the SPLM-IO

The South African government has denied that South Sudan’s First Vice President Dr Riek Machar is in the country to meet officials on the peace process.

This comes after Dr Riek’s spokesman issued a statement that his boss was on a peace mission to meet the political leadership of South Africa.

In a separate statement by the department of international relations and cooperation last evening, the government in Pretoria admitted that Dr Riek was in the country.

But it said there were no plans to meet with the South African authorities.

“It is indeed correct that Dr Riek Machar is in South Africa on purely a private visit,” partly read the statement.

Recent media reports suggested that Dr Riek was diagnosed with eye cancer at a hospital in South Africa between 2014 and 2015, an allegation Dr Riek’s spokesman James Gatdet denied.

The authorities there hope to meet with Dr Riek in Juba after the formation of the government of national unity.

It said the South African government hopes that the transitional government will soon be formed to start the process of healing among the people of South Sudan.

The statement further said South Sudan people have suffered greatly in the recent past due to an unnecessary war.