South Africa's government led by President Jazob Zuma has accused the mayor of Tshwane, which includes the capital Pretoria, of breaching its "One China" policy by visiting Taiwan last year.

According to Ceoafrica, Solly Msimanga, the first opposition member to be elected Tshwane mayor, has defended the visit, saying it was aimed at drumming up investor support.

Foreign affairs department spokesman Clayson Monyela said that South Africa and the United Nations (UN) do not recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state and South Africa's liaison office in Taipei is only meant for people-to-people contact.

''It has no political mandate and therefore interaction between political office bearers is not allowed,'' he added.

The governing African National Congress (ANC) lost control of Tshwane in local government elections last year, in its first defeat in the city since it took power at the end of apartheid in 1994.

Solly Msimanga is a South Africa politician and the current mayor of Pretoria. After the Democratic Alliance's (DA) victory in Tshwane in the 2016 election, Msimanga was elected mayor by Tshwane City Council on its first meeting.

Before being elected mayor, Msimanga served as DA councillor for Tshwane from 2011 – 2014. He was also a member of the Gauteng provincial legislature and is the current chairperson for the DA in Gauteng, South Africa.