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President Ramaphosa undertakes a State Visit and leads delegations to SADC summit
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President Cyril Ramaphosa will undertake his first State Visit since being elected President in May 2019, to Dar es Salaam in the United Republic of Tanzania on 14-15 August 2019.
 
As part of his visit to Tanzania, President Ramaphosa will also lead the South African delegation to the 39th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for 17-18 August 2019.
 
The State Visit on 15 August 2019 will take place at the invitation of the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. President John Pombe  Magufuli. 
 
The visit will allow the two leaders to discuss bilateral, continental and global issues, and to reaffirm their commitment to further cooperate closely on multilateral issues between the two countries.  
 
President Ramaphosa will also visit the town of Morogoro west of Dar es Salaam to express solidarity with and condolences to the government and people of Tanzania following  a fuel tanker explosion that claimed more than 70 lives on Sunday, 11 August 2019.
 
President has expressed his sincere regret at this mass loss of life and indicated South Africa’s willigness to offer the United Republic of Tanzania any assistance that may be required following this tragedy.
 
President Ramaphosa says the tragedy at Morogoro is shared by South Africans for whom Morogoro holds great significance as the site of the first National Consultative Conference of the African National Congress 50 years ago on May 1. The Morogoro Conference brought together and advanced unity among diverse formations in the struggle against apartheid. The conference also issued a clarion call for an intensification of the armed struggle.
 
Mazimbu, Morogoro, is also where the educational Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College (SOMAFCO), was established by the exiled ANC in 1978.
 
The college provided educational and vocational skills to young South Africans who had fled the country after the 1976 Soweto uprising.
 
A Business Forum is being arranged by the Ministries of Trade and Industry of both countries and participants will be addressed by both Presidents.
 
Following the State Visit, the President will  attend the 39th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government on 17-18 August 2019, which will be held under the theme “A Conducive Business Environment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development”. 
 
The theme is in line with previous SADC Summit decisions that endorsed industrialisation as the overarching priority for the region based on the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (2015-2063).
 
The Summit will provide an opportunity for Heads of State and Government to be apprised on the overall implementation of the SADC work programme, including the Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (2015-2020) and the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap.
 
The Summit will be updated on the status of the region's economy, health, and food security. It will provide policy direction about future strategic work of SADC and the SADC post 2020 Agenda.
 
The Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (Zambia) will also present a report on the status of regional peace and security.
 
In his capacity as the SADC Facilitator to the Kingdom of Lesotho, President Ramaphosa will present a report on developments in the facilitation process during the SADC Troika Summit of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation to be held on 16 August 2019.
 
The President will be accompanied by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor; the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula; Minister of Tourism, Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane; Minister of Finance, Mr Tito Mboweni; and the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Mr Gwede Mantashe.
 

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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South Africa and Tanzania commit to greater economic cooperation
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The Republic of South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania have committed to deepen and strengthen economic ties through expanded trade and investment with a goal of achieving decent livelihoods in both countries.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Tanzanian counterpart, President John Pombe Magufuli, have agreed to work together to ensure economic growth and advance peace and stability in the two countries.

President Cyril Ramaphosa undertook his first State Visit since being elected President in May 2019 to the United Republic of Tanzania from 14 to 15  August 2019.

The President completed his visit to Tanzania - where he also attended 39th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government - today, Sunday 18 August 2019.

During their bilateral discussions, the Presidents Ramaphosa and Magufuli exchanged views on bilateral, continental and global issues. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate more closely on multilateral issues.

On bilateral economic relations, President Ramaphosa said: “I firmly believe that much can still be achieved to further expand our cooperation, particularly in sectors such as energy, mining development, mineral beneficiation, economic infrastructure, tourism, agro–processing, education and healthcare.”

He also encouraged the enhancement of cultural exchanges in order to promote people-to-people relations.

The Heads of State agreed that the second session of the South Africa-Tanzania Binational Commission would be hosted in South Africa in 2019 on a date to be agreed.

The leaders also noted with satisfaction the coming into effect of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) - an ambitious initiative to accelerate intracontinental trade and advance economic integration.

Addressing the South Africa-Tanzania Business Forum, the two leaders called on their respective business communities to work together to achieve inclusive growth and development.

To promote rapid industrialisation and development, they agreed on the need to enhance the ease of doing business in the two countries.

President Ramaphosa said: “South Africa is ready and prepared to craft a new partnership model with Tanzania, where government and business work together to clear the way for more investment to flow between our two countries”.

During his State Visit President Ramaphosa also undertook a visit to Morogoro where he visited and toured the Soikone University of Agriculture’s Solomon Mahlangu Campus (formerly known as the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College - SOMAFCO).

The college situated in Mazimbu was established by the exiled ANC in 1978 and provided educational and vocational skills to young South Africans who had fled South Africa after the 1976 Soweto uprising.

The President's visit to Morogoro was the first by a sitting President of the Republic of South Africa and coincided with the 50th Anniversary of the African National Congress’s Morogoro Consultative Conference convened under the stewardship of President Oliver Tambo. It was this Consultative Conference that adopted the Strategy and Tactics document, which determined the direction of the ANC's struggle against the apartheid regime for several decades.

President Ramaphosa said: “We return here because we desire – like the people of this area and all the people of Tanzania – to see this as a place of development, of commerce, of learning and of prosperity. We want this place to have a future that is as glorious as its past.  That is why we are greatly encouraged by initiatives like the SOMAFCO Future Africa Precinct, which aims to remember and celebrate our past while investing in infrastructure and economic opportunities that make a tangible difference in the lives of the people of this area.”

During this engagement in Morogoro, President Ramaphosa expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families and the people of Tanzania following the 10 August 2019 fuel tanker explosion in the area that led to the deaths of more than 70 people.

The President said: “We wish the families of those who have lost their loved ones strength as they go through this valley of darkness, as they come to terms with their loss but we also wish those who are still in the hospital a good recovery.”
 
Following his State Visit, President Ramaphosa led the South African delegation to the 39th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government held under the theme “A Conducive Business Environment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development”.

The Summit was held from 17-18 August 2019 at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.

The theme was in line with previous SADC Summit decisions that endorsed industrialisation as the overarching priority for the region based on the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (2015-2063).

The Summit provided an opportunity for Heads of State and Government to be apprised on the overall implementation of the SADC work programme, including the Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (2015-2020) and the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap.

The Summit was also updated on the status of the region's economy, health, and food security and provided policy direction about future strategic work of SADC and the SADC post 2020 Agenda.

President Ramaphosa highlighted the importance of regional economic integration and further emphasised the need to work towards the advancement of economic integration as envisaged by the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and for the promotion and advancement of the Public-Private sector partnerships.

During the SADC Troika Summit of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, in his capacity as the SADC facilitator to the Kingdom of Lesotho, President Ramaphosa presented a final report on the facilitation process to the SADC Heads of State.

Presenting his report, the President noted with great appreciation progress made towards the implementation of the reforms required for transformation in the mountain kingdom.

He commended the passing of enabling legislation for the establishment of the National Reforms Authority which is entrusted with implementing the decisions of the National Dialogue and the reform processes.

President Ramaphosa was supported by Retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke and thanked him and his support team for their dedication and commitment.

The President further expressed gratitude to international partners, notably, the European Union Delegation Office to Lesotho, the United Nations Development Programme in Maseru and Tanzania retired Justice Frederick Werema, Chairperson of the SADC Oversight Committee on Lesotho for their support and assistance provided to him.

President Ramaphosa has congratulated President Magufuli on assuming the Chairmanship of SADC and is certain that under his leadership “our regional organisation, our region will continue to prosper under (his) esteemed and capable leadership”.

The President has also congratulated President Magafuli on Kiswahili being adopted as the 4th official language of communication of the SADC, in addition to English, French and Portuguese. 

The next SADC Summit will take place in Maputo, Mozambique in August 2020.

President Ramaphosa congratulates Ms Sasha Maria Schwendenwein, Producer at Carte Blanche for her SADC Media Awards entry which won second prize in the TV category. 

South Africa received an award during the SADC Summit on a story called “Follow the Guns” which is about the illegal trade of weapons used for the poaching of endangered rhinos.

The President was accompanied by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Naledi Pandor; the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula; Minister of Tourism, Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi Ngubane and Minister of Finance, Mr Tito Mboweni
 

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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President Ramaphosa convenes first PCC of sixth administration
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President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Tuesday 20 August 2019, convene the first President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) meeting of the new administration.

The meeting will take place at the Union Buildings, Pretoria, from 09h00.

In his June 2019 State of the Nation Address, the President said this administration would refocus the agenda of the PCC in order to sharpen and strengthen cooperative governance and implement a well-coordinated and coherent national programme of action.

Tomorrow’s meeting will therefore engage on “Khawuleza” – a new District Coordination Model which radically seeks to improve the coherence and  impact of government service delivery and development.

The model focuses on 44 Districts and 8 Metros countrywide as developmental spaces (Intergovernmental Relations Impact Zones) that will be strategic alignment platforms for all three spheres of government.

The meeting will also assess progress on the Economic Stimulus and Recovery Plan being implemented by government to secure economic stability and growth, and will discuss provincial growth and development plans.

The PCC will be co-chaired by the President and Deputy President David Mabuza, and will be attended by Minister in The Presidency and the Ministers of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Finance and Public Service and Administration, along with Premiers, Executive Mayors, Directors-General and the leadership of the South African Local Government Association.

Media are invited for a photo opportunity of the PCC at the conclusion of the meeting as follows:

Date: Tuesday, 20 August
Time: 13:30 for 14:00
Venue: Union Buildings
 
Media interested in covering the photo opportunity can liaise with Nonceba Mhlauli on 072 623 3462 or Tsakane Khambane on 082 084 5566
 

Media enquires: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President, on 072 854 5707
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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PCC endorses district-centred development model
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The President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) has endorsed a new district-based model for development that will synchronise planning by all spheres of government and involve citizens and civil society in the development of South Africa’s 44 municipal districts and eight (8) Metros.

This is the key outcome of the first meeting of the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) of the sixth Administration which met in Pretoria today, 20 August 2019, convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The PCC’s endorsement of the Khawuleza (“hurry up”) District Coordination Service Delivery Model follows overwhelming support for the new approach  by joint committees of Cabinet and by the Local Government MINMEC, the structure that comprises the Minister for Cooperative Governance and  Traditional Affairs; provincial Members of Executive Councils for local government and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).

The model will also be submitted for approval by Cabinet at its meeting in Cape Town tomorrow, Wednesday 21 August 2019. The new model will be piloted in the OR Tambo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape at a time that will be identified in due course.

Today’s meeting at the Union Buildings in Pretoria was co-chaired by the President and Deputy President David Mabuza.

The meeting brought together Ministers in The Presidency; the Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Directors-General of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Finance and Public Service and Administration; the nine Provincial Premiers and provincial Directors-General; Executive Mayors of the eight Metros as well as the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) President, Deputy President and Chief Executive Officer.

The PCC deliberations at the Union Buildings gave effect to the commitment by President Ramaphosa in the June 2019 State of the Nation Address that the Council’s agenda would be refocused to sharpen and strengthen cooperative governance and implement a well-coordinated and coherent national programme of action.

The Khawuleza District Coordination Service Delivery Model endorsed by the PCC seeks to secure maximum coordination and cooperation among the national, provincial and local spheres of government, who will act in partnership with civil society – including communities, business and labour - at the district level countrywide.

Across the 44 districts and 8 Metros in the country, all developmental initiatives will be viewed through a district-level lens. Development will be pursued through single, integrated plans per district – one district, one plan - that will outline the role of each sphere of government as well as the role of communities and civil society sectors in each district.

This coordination will require - with effect from the 2020/21 Budget cycle - that national budgets and programmes are spatially referenced across the 44 districts and 8 Metros.

Similarly, provincial government budgets and programmes will be spatially referenced to districts and metros in the respective provinces, while municipalities will express the needs and aspirations of communities in integrated development plans for the 44 districts and 8 Metros. This shift in planning is expected to narrow the distance between citizens and engender active participation by citizens in development, and enable long-term planning as well as responses to immediate “burning” issues.

This new dispensation seeks to change the face of rural and urban landscapes by ensuring complementarity between urban and rural development, with a deliberate emphasis on local economic development.

The district-driven model is directed at turning plans into action, and ensuring proper project management and tracking.

In his opening address to the Council, President Ramaphosa said that in the past, programmes and initiatives had been rolled out without being in synch with government’s overarching strategy.

Shortcomings in previous service delivery models necessitated a new approach to development that would be more practical, achievable, implementable, measurable and clearly aligned to the key priorities of government.

The PCC also received presentations outlining the alignment of draft provincial growth and development plans with the national priorities listed in the June 2019 State of the Nation Address as government’s areas of focus for the current political term.


Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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President to brief Parliament on the economy and land reform
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President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Thursday, 22 August 2019, brief the National Assembly on government’s efforts to deal with the challenge of slow economic growth and high unemployment.

The President will focus on the economy when he takes questions for oral reply in the National Assembly for the first time since his election as President in May 2019.

The President is constitutionally mandated to periodically respond to questions in Parliament and to account to elected public representatives and the  nation at large on developments in the country.

For tomorrow’s engagement Members of Parliament have also submitted questions on the implementation of the National Health Insurance following the Presidential Health Compact agreed by government and a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the health sector, as well as the President’s commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture.

The President will also showcase government’s efforts to advance, protect and preserve the rights and practices of all cultural and linguistic communities in South Africa and to strengthen social cohesion among diverse groupings of people.

Other questions relate to the President’s party political campaign for leadership of the African National Congress.

Details of the President’s question and answer session are as follows:

Date: Thursday, 22 August 2019
Time: 14h00
Venue: National Assembly, Parliament, Cape Town


Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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President Cyril Ramaphosa Oral Replies in the National Assembly, Parliament, Cape Town
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QUESTION:
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With reference to the poor performance of the South African economy, the continuing job losses driving unemployment to an 11-year high, the serious challenges facing critical state-owned enterprises, and in light of the fact that the most recent government interventions such as the removal of barriers to entry-level Government positions, the stimulus package and Presidential Jobs Summit do not seem to have an impact, what are the Government’s plans to

(a) effectively address the challenge of slow economic growth and
(b) deal with rising unemployment rate?

REPLY:

Honourable Members,

Economic growth and job creation is the apex priority of this administration.

It is nearly one year since I announced the Economic Stimulus and Recovery package to get the wheels turning again, so now would be an opportune time to provide a brief report back on what we have achieved in terms of meeting its key objectives.

We said we would implement growth-enhancing reforms in pursuit of igniting economic activity.

One of these is that we will relook at our visa regime to attract more tourists, and more highly skilled professionals.

The Department of Home Affairs recently issued a list of countries that will receive visa waivers, among them countries with high tourism potential like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

An e-visa system will soon be piloted as part of modernising our current system.

The Department of Home Affairs is working with the Department of Higher Education and Training towards refining a list of critical skills that will inform future regulations.

We have introduced trade measures to safeguard key agricultural sectors like the poultry industry, and in the process protect local jobs.

The policy directive for the release of high demand spectrum gazetted on 26 July 2019 will help to draw fresh investment into the digital and telecoms sectors.

Towards our goal of making it easier to do business in South Africa through reducing port and rail tariffs, the Ports regulator in November announced a tariff decrease of 6% and also decreased container and automotive cargo dues.

We said we would move forward with agrarian reform.

Funding to the tune of R3.9bn has been released to support black commercial farmers through the Land Bank.

To promote greater certainty in the use of land for productive activities we have finalised over 1,400 30-year leases.

We said we would revitalise industrial parks and three new parks have been launched in the 2019 financial year in Ekandustria, Garankuwa and Nkowankowa.

We said we would reprioritise public spending to support more social infrastructure.

We have already exceeded the target of filling over 2,000 critical medical posts to address challenges in the health care system.

Between September 2018 and July 2019, the IDC approved upwards of R14 billion in infrastructure funding for roads, human settlements, water infrastructure, schools, student accomodation and public transport.

To support job creation an amount of R600 million has been provisionally allocated to support rural and township entrepreneurs.

The Employee Tax Incentive has been extended to 2029 to enable more employers to take advantage of its provisions to hire more young people.

I recently met the leaders of business, labour and communities at Nedlac to review progress in implementation of the Jobs Summit commitments.

While there has been progress in several areas, all constituencies agree that the depth of the unemployment crisis means we have to do more, and we have to do it faster.

We have therefore agreed that I, together with Deputy President Mabuza, will convene a regular meeting with all Nedlac constituencies to review progress and, where necessary, take action to resolve problems.

As we outlined in SONA in June, we are responding to the dire employment situation by addressing the structural weaknesses in the economy, developing skills that match the needs of the economy, boosting investment and fixing state owned enterprises, among a number of actions.

Further measures to reduce our fiscal deficit and debt ratios will be announced in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement in October.

This administration is pursuing a purposeful industrial strategy in which we work closely with social partners to develop Master Plans for sectors with high potential for growth.

Government has already begun work with sectors such as clothing, textiles and footwear, poultry, the sugar industry and steel and downstream metal fabrication.

Funding to the tune of R600m has been allocated over the MTEF to support the clothing and textile sectors.

In June, a number of Chinese companies signed agreements with their South African counterparts to buy more than R25 billion of South African goods.

These will help to boost production, growth and jobs in the local economy.

The African Continental Free Trade Area, which is planned to come into effect on 1 July next year, is expected to fundamentally reshape the South African economy.

Already, exports to other African countries support about 250,000 South African jobs.

To improve the levels of investment in the economy, we will host the Second South Africa Investment Conference from 5 to 7 November this year.

This will build on the success of the first conference where commitments of R300 billion were made by local and international companies in support of our R1.2 trillion investment drive.

Of the R300 billion committed at the inaugural Investment Conference, around R250 billion worth of projects are in the implementation phase.

There has been a significant turnaround in flows of foreign direct investment, surging from R26.8 billion in 2017 to R70.7 billion in 2018.

We are working on a set of priority reforms to improve the ease of doing business and reducing the cost of compliance.

Technical Working Groups comprised of officials in the relevant departments have begun work on five of the indicators: starting a business, paying taxes, registering property, trading across borders, and dealing with construction permits.

One of the constraints to growth in our economy is the high level of economic concentration.

Earlier this year, I signed the Competition Amendment Act into law, and major sections of this Act have come into operation last month.

The new laws will give the competition authorities the ability to address abuse of dominance and high concentration that keeps small and emerging companies out of the economy.

The combined efforts of DTI, the IDC and partnerships with the private sector are expected to provide support of over R40 billion to black industrialists over the next five years.

The IDC is expected to provide R11 billion in support to women-empowered enterprises alone, and further funds will be made available for youth-enterprises.

Through spatial interventions like special economic zones, reviving local industrial parks, business centres, digital hubs and township and village enterprises, we are bringing economic development to local areas.

We are working to develop small and medium enterprises in our cities, townships and rural areas and create market places where they trade their products.

If we are to achieve the South Africa we want, we need to forge durable partnerships between government, business, labour, communities and civil society.

Government is hard at work to create an enabling environment, use public resources wisely and invest in developing the country’s human potential.

Business and labour need to act together to promote our country’s national strategic objectives.

Early in the sixth administration, I engaged with the National Planning Commission to tap into the collective wisdom embodied in that esteemed collective of South Africans.

In playing their advisory role, they continue to develop research and insights to support strategies towards inclusive growth.

There are no easy or quick solutions to low growth and unemployment.

It requires hard work, smart policy choices, commitment and, above all, close cooperation among all social partners.

I thank you.  


QUESTION:

Whether he intends to institute a full-scale, independent inquiry, headed by a retired judge to be selected by the Chief Justice, to further investigate all allegations of state capture that involve Bosasa, now known as African Global Operations, following the revelations made in the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector and the findings of the Public Protector in her report titled Report on an Investigation into Allegations of a Violation of the Executive Ethics Code through an Improper Relationship between the President and African Global Operations, formerly known as Bosasa, Report 37 of 2019-20?

REPLY: 

Honourable Members,

In January 2018, then President Jacob Zuma appointed a Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of state capture, corruption and fraud in the Public Sector including organs of state.

The Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, Judge Raymond Zondo, was appointed as the Chairperson of the Commission, having been identified by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.

According to its terms of reference, among other things:

“The Commission shall inquire into, make findings, report on and make recommendations concerning the following…

“1.9 the nature and extent of corruption, if any, in the awarding of contracts and tenders to companies, business entities or organizations by Government Departments, agencies and entities. In particular, whether any member of the National Executive (including the President), public official, functionary of any organ of state influenced the awarding of tenders to benefit themselves, their families or entities in which they held a personal interest…”

It should be obvious from these terms of reference that the Commission of Inquiry into state capture has both the mandate and the authority to investigate the matters to which the Hon Maimane refers.

It is a matter of public record that the Commission is indeed investigating various allegations with respect to Bosasa, now known as African Global Operations.

I have already deposed an affidavit to the commission regarding any contact or dealings I may have had with persons who have either appeared before the commission or have been named at the commission in one form or another.

I have also said that I would be willing to appear before the commission at any time that the commission would want to hear me on any matter that may assist them in their work.

There is therefore absolutely no reason to establish a new inquiry to investigate a matter that is already being investigated by a sitting Commission of Inquiry.

As a country, and as leaders, we should direct our efforts towards supporting the Zondo Commission of Inquiry and urging all those with information relevant to its mandate to make themselves available to the Commission.

We need also to support and equip the National Prosecuting Authority to pursue investigations and prosecutions where there is evidence of criminality.

As for the report of the Public Protector, Honourable Members may know that this matter has been taken on urgent judicial review.

We should allow the courts to make a determination on this matter. Let us give the courts the opportunity to deal with this matter – after which we can have a political discussion.

I am waiting for the courts to make a determination on this matter and I woiuld like this to be done as urgently as possible, so that all of us as South Africans can get on with our lives and we can get on with the task of governance in our country.

I thank you.


QUESTION:

With reference to his reply to question 4 on 20 February 2019, wherein he stated that he was not involved in fundraising for his campaign to become president of his political organisation, known as the CR17 campaign, but only met with potential funders at dinners organised by those leading the campaign, what are the details of

(a) the persons in the Office of the President and the Cabinet who were involved in fundraising for his campaign and
(b) the potential funders whom he met at each specified dinner as per his reply?

REPLY:

Honourable Members,

Following the release of the Public Protector’s report into allegations against the President, there has been much interest in the country about the funding and operations of the CR17 campaign.

As I have already indicated, the Public Protector’s report is being taken on urgent judicial review and the courts will make a determination on the matter.

Some people have used this opportunity – quite correctly in my view – to debate the issue of political funding. This is an important debate that needs to ensue in our country.

I have also initiated discussion within the political party that I lead about the running of internal political leadership contests. I initiated that discussion in the last NEC (of the ANC) where I said this whole matter has brought to the fore a question we need to address as a political party.

But others have a more sinister agenda, using leaked information selectively to undermine the positive changes that have been brought about in this country since the ANC’s 54th National Conference.

The CR17 campaign was a legitimate, forward-looking and necessary effort to promote the renewal of the governing party and broader society, undertaken under difficult conditions.

In its funding and its activities, there was no wrongdoing, no criminality and no abuse of public funds or resources.

Those who contributed to the campaign – whether as organisers, volunteers, as members of the ANC, as service providers or donors, including myself – did so out of a genuine concern for the future of the country.

If there were members of the Executive who were part of the campaign and were involved in fundraising, they did so as individual party members exercising their democratic and Constitutional right. In this regard, they owe no apology for what they did.

What they did is a matter between themselves and their party; just as it is a matter between myself as President of the ANC and my party. It is for that reason that I have initiated that discussion within the ANC.

As things currently stand, therefore, there are no rules or regulations in place for the disclosure of donations for internal party leadership contests.

This matter is now before our courts. It is a matter that is going to be dealt with by our courts. I want our courts to determine the extent to which declarations or disclosures may have been needed for internal party campaigning.

Nor is there a provision for the disclosure of such information in the Executive Ethics Code or in the Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members’ Interests for Assembly and Permanent Council Members.

I am sure that the Honourable Malema would agree that it would be unreasonable and potentially prejudicial to expect the disclosure of such information until such time that all candidates and all parties are held to the same requirements of disclosure and transparency.

The Political Party Funding Act, which I signed into law earlier this year, does regulate public and private funding of political parties and requires disclosure of donations accepted.

While this Act does not extend to the funding of internal party leadership contests, this is perhaps the appropriate time for this House to consider whether it is necessary and desirable for funding of internal party contests to be disclosed and regulated.

Do we want internal party political contests from the governing party to the smallest party to be regulated so that there will be disclosure?

I would therefore like to suggest that this Parliament take responsibility for ensuring that the same standards of accountability and transparency are applied to all parties and leaders.

I thank you.  


QUESTION:

With regard to the signing of the first-ever Presidential Health Compact that binds different stakeholders to overcoming the challenges in the public health care system and to give practical expression to section 27 of the Bill of Rights, which affirms the right of everyone to have access to health care services, including reproductive health care, what

(a) has he found to be the state of readiness of the country to implement the National Health Insurance and
(b) will be the benefits of National Health Insurance as the country develops the national health care system for the future?

REPLY:

Honourable Members,

South Africa has massive inequalities that require policy change.

We are one of the countries with the highest inequality.

The health sector contributes significantly to the country’s inequality status. 

Therefore, one of our greatest priorities as a nation must be the achievement of universal health coverage, where all our people have equal access to quality health care.

This is essential for the achievement of a better quality of life, for social justice, for equity and for a more productive economy.

We have also signed as a country the Sustainable development agenda which calls for the introduction of Universal Health Coverage.

We are heading out to New York at the United Nations to join other countries who are moving towards the implementation of their verson of Universal Health Coverage.

As part of our global commitment, we attended and contributed our input to the G20 Summit in Osaka in June this year.

At the summit, we, together with the low and medium income countries were urged to move towards universal health coverage.

We are on track to do this in our country through the National Health Insurance.

We have global support in moving towards Universal Health Coverage.

The Elders Group, established by the Former President Nelson Mandela, has issued a statement in support of our efforts towards NHI.

Furthermore, the World Health Organisation is greatly supportive of our efforts to introduce universal health coverage, which has been a fundamental demand of the Freedom Charter for over 50 years.

It is for this reason that we are pursuing an ambitious programme to address the problems in our health system alongside the introduction of National Health Insurance.

Last month, we signed a Presidential Health Compact, which provides a comprehensive and detailed programme to improve our public health care system.

This historic Compact was developed together with all key stakeholders, including health professionals, labour, business, statutory councils, civil society, users of the health system and academia.

Each stakeholder is committed to practical measures to strengthen the health system.

This is essential if we are to ensure that each clinic, community health centre and hospital in the public and private sector is NHI-ready.

The NHI Fund will contract with only those hospitals and clinics that meet international quality standards.

This approach implies that we will be undertaking measures to strengthen the health system as we implement the NHI.

We are focusing on improvements in human resources, access to medicines and vaccines, building and maintenance of infrastructure, and the quality, safety and quantity of health services.

We are working together with stakeholders to improve financial management and strengthen governance, oversight and accountability.

A vital component of this plan is to ensure that the national health information system guides the way policies, strategies and investments are made.

Once passed into law, the NHI Bill will go a long way towards achieving universal quality health coverage.

We will join a community of nations that are moving towards ending inequality in access to quality health care.

In South Africa, we are confronting severe inequality, where around R250 billion is spent on the 16% of the population who have access to private health care, while only R220 billion goes towards health care for the rest of the population.

There are those who say we must leave things as they are.

We are called upon to retain an unjust system that deprives the majority of South Africans access to the doctors, specialists, allied health professionals that are supposed to serve only a few to the exclusion of the rest. 

To this we say ‘No’.

This is unfair, inefficient and unsustainable.

We have enough resources in this country to give every man, woman and child health care, but we refuse because we want to promote interests of a few to the detriment of the rest.

We shall change this.

Implementing NHI while improving the health system has several benefits.

The NHI will increase the resources available to hire more health workers, thus reducing waiting times at clinics and hospitals.

Contracting health professionals from the private sector into NHI will increase access to the services of doctors, specialists, dentists, physiotherapists, psychologists and others.

Through the more efficient allocation of health resources, NHI will improve access to medicines and equipment, reduce drug stock-outs and improve maintenance of facilities.

The NHI Fund will separate the purchase of health services from the delivery of services, thereby increasing value for money.

It will help to ensure that funds, staff, medicine and equipment are more fairly distributed.

It will further enhance the quality of services delivered because all those who receive contracts must be able to provide services of a specified quality.

It will help improve efficiency, transparency and accountability.

As we have done before with all major policy interventions since 1994, we will ensure effective consultation and engagement across society at all stages of this process.

The quest for universal health coverage is probably one of the most significant public-private partnerships that we will undertake, and it is essential that all social partners are involved in its design and implementation.

It will be implemented incrementally and within available resources.

The NHI provides an opportunity to fundamentally transform health care in this country to ensure greater fairness, improved health outcomes and a more productive workforce.

Through the NHI, we will be closer to achieving the demand of the Freedom Charter that: “Free medical care and hospitalisation shall be provided for all.”

Working together, we are determined to achieve this goal.

[President relates personal account by the late Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme of an earlier Prime Minister who had shared a hospital ward with, among other persons, a steel worker. The Prime Minister told the steel worker that the Swedish government had worked to achieve a national health system where a Prime Minister and a steel worker could share a ward and receive exactly the same care.]

We want to improve and revolutionise health care. This is something we hope to achieve and it is for this reason that National Health Insurance is being piloted and directed from the Private Office of the President.

We are going to make sure that NHI does get implemented. The NHI Bill will be coming to Parliament and we hope this House will revolutionise health care delivery in our country – and in our lifetime.

I thank you. 


QUESTION:

Whether he intends to implement the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

Honourable Members,

The acceleration of land reform is essential for the transformation of society, for tackling poverty and growing the economy.

The Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture – which was established in September 2018 to provide expert advice on the critical task of land reform – had produced several far-reaching recommendations to ensure that we correct the skewed distribution of land in the country.

This is necessary to reduce inequality.

Through providing poor South Africans with land on which to farm, to live and to run businesses, we will be able to break the cycle of poverty in which many people are trapped.

The report of the Advisory Panel has been presented to Cabinet and has been made available to the public.

The report provides a detailed and critical assessment on progress since 1994 and outlines some of the weaknesses in our policies and programmes.

This report recommends legal mechanisms to recognise, register, record and enforce a continuum of land rights, so that all our people become rights holders.

The Panel has called on government to immediately identify well-located and unused or under-utilised land and buildings for the purposes of urban settlement and to prioritise poor tenants for upgrading their rights.

The Panel argues that expropriation without compensation is not, by itself, a solution to land reform, but is just one of the means of acquiring land.

The report goes much further to address questions of who should benefit, and promotes a participatory and democratic, area-based approach to identifying land needs.

The Panel’s recommendations complement and reinforce the work being done by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform chaired by the Deputy President.

The IMC is making progress in the development of the National Spatial Development Framework, which will guide our efforts to ensure land use and planning is developmental and transforms people’s lives.

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has released 100 parcels of land for land restitution purposes.

For the remaining parcels of land, land use studies are being finalised, which include land identified for human settlements.

Progress is being made in the development of an integrated model for farmer support.

The model entails the provision of financial and non-financial support through the value chain.

It is intended that, together with the work already underway, the Panel’s recommendations will inform the finalisation of a comprehensive, far-reaching and transformative land reform programme.

Cabinet still needs to consider the findings and recommendations of the panel, after which it will be able to pronounce on the implementation of this report.

We hope this will dovetail with the work being done by the National Assembly on the land question.

I thank you.


QUESTION:

With reference to section 83(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, which requires that he promotes the unity of the nation and that which will advance the Republic, how does he envisage (a) fulfilling this constitutional obligation as Head of State and (b) stopping the current alienation of minorities in the Republic?

REPLY:

Honourable Members,

While the Constitution enjoins the President to promote the unity of the nation, it is the role and the responsibility of all South Africans to build a country that belongs to all who live in it.

In undertaking my responsibility as President of the Republic, I am guided in the main by the Preamble to our Constitution.

Among other things, it calls on all of us to heal the divisions of the past, establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights, ensure every citizen is equally protected by the law and free the potential of each person.

The achievement of national unity depends on the advancement of equality in all spheres of public and private life.

All South Africans must have the same rights and opportunities regardless of race, gender, sex, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.

Since 1994, we have put in place policies and programmes to safeguard these rights and advance these opportunities.

We have sought to advance the constitutional principle that everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice.

Given the huge inequality in our society, which is mainly defined along lines of race and gender, the promotion of national unity requires that we take measures to advance those South Africans who have been disadvantaged by unfair discrimination.

That is why we have directed public resources towards the poor, why we have implemented employment equity and broad-based black economic empowerment, why we have massively expanded access to education, and why we have introduced a National Minimum Wage.

The divisions in our society are not only material.

They are also social, cultural and psychological.

We must therefore deepen dialogue to ensure that South Africans across the racial and other contours of difference establish common ground and that there is solidarity and mutual trust.

These dialogues must address what it means to be an active and responsible citizen. 

If it is true that there are ‘minorities’ that are alienated, then we need to find out why, (although) I would hesitate to use the word “minorities”; there are groups of people who feel they are alienated.

We need to establish whether it is a matter of perception or the consequence of actual experience, and we need to engage in dialogue to address any grievances or concerns.

My experience is that the overwhelming majority of South Africans, regardless of race, class or gender, support the measures we have undertaken – in line with the Constitution – to address the inequalities of our past and to affirm those who were previously disadvantaged.

They are in many instances also eager and actively seeking to be part of the solution in building a united nation.

They have built a bridge and crossed over it.

They understand that we will never achieve a united, peaceful society for as long as racial privilege or other forms of inequality continue.
 
Perhaps it is time for us to challenge this idea of so-called ‘minorities’.

It is indeed true that South Africa is made up of people of different races, ethnicities, language groups and religions, but we are all part of the greater South African people.

Whatever our individual backgrounds or circumstances, we are all part of the majority.

South Africa belongs to all of us equally and we must all feel that we belong to this South Africa, regardless of the various differences that we may have along the lines of language, region or colour.

We are all one nation and let us begin to act as one nation.

I thank you.

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President highlights efforts to secure economic growth
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has cited changes made to visa regulations for tourists and highly skilled professionals, financial support for black farmers and black industrialists and the upgrading and creation of industrial parks as evidence of government’s efforts to secure economic growth   and deal with unemployment.

The President provided an update on actions to ignite economic activity to the National Assembly on Thursday, 22 August 2019, in his first session of Questions for Oral Reply since his election in May 2019.

The President also took questions on National Health Insurance, land reform, social cohesion and internal leadership campaigns within political parties.

President Ramaphosa reaffirmed economic growth and job creation as the apex priority of the sixth administration.

The President provided evidence of implementation of the Economic Stimulus and Recovery Plan introduced by government in 2018 to shore up the economy.

The President said a recent intervention in this direction was the designation by the Department of Home Affairs of a number of countries that will receive visa waivers, among them countries with high tourism potential like Saudi Arabia and Qatar. 

Furthermore, an e-visa system will soon be piloted as part of modernising current systems. 

The Department of Home Affairs is working with the Department of Higher Education and Training towards refining a list of critical skills that will inform future regulations.

The President said trade measures had been in place to safeguard key agricultural sectors like the poultry industry, protecting local jobs in the process.

Making it easier to do business in South Africa, the Ports Authority of South Africa reduced tariffs by 6% in late 2018, while also decreasing container and automotive cargo dues.

On agrarian reform the President said funding to the tune of R3.9bn had been released to support black commercial farmers through the Land Bank. 

To promote greater certainty in the use of land for productive activities, more than 1 400 30-year leases have been finalised.

As part of implementing the stimulus and recovery plan, three new industrial parks have been launched in the 2019 financial year in Ekandustria, Garankuwa and Nkowankowa.

Challenges in the health care system have been mitigated thorugh the filling of more than 2 000 critical medical posts.

Between September 2018 and July 2019, the Industrial Development Corporation approved upwards of R14 billion in infrastructure funding for roads, human settlements, water infrastructure, schools, student accomodation and public transport.

To support job creation an amount of R600 million has been provisionally allocated to support rural and township entrepreneurs. 

The Employee Tax Incentive has been extended to 2029 to enable more employers to take advantage of its provisions to hire more young people.

The President and Deputy President David Mabuza are due to convene regular meetings with the National Economic Development and Labour Council to review progress in implementation of the Jobs Summit commitments.

The President said government was pursuing a purposeful industrial strategy in partnership with social partners to develop Master Plans for sectors with high potential for growth.

Government has already begun work with sectors such as clothing, textiles and footwear, poultry, the sugar industry and steel and downstream metal fabrication. 

Funding to the tune of R600m has been allocated over the MTEF to support the clothing and textile sectors.

In June, a number of Chinese companies signed agreements with their South African counterparts to buy more than R25 billion of South African goods. 

This will help to boost production, growth and jobs in the local economy. 

The African Continental Free Trade Area, which is planned to come into effect on 1 July next year, is expected to fundamentally reshape the South African economy. 

Already, exports to other African countries support about 250,000 South African jobs.

To improve the levels of investment in the economy, government will host the Second South Africa Investment Conference from 5 to 7 November this year. 

This will build on the success of the 2018 conference where commitments of R300 billion were made by local and international companies in support of our R1.2 trillion investment drive.

Of the R300 billion committed at the inaugural Investment Conference, around R250 billion worth of projects are in the implementation phase.

There has been a significant turnaround in flows of foreign direct investment, surging from R26.8 billion in 2017 to R70.7 billion in 2018.

President Ramaphosa outlined a set of priority reforms to improve the ease of doing business and reducing the cost of compliance.

Technical Working Groups comprised of officials in the relevant departments have begun work on five of the indicators: starting a business, paying taxes, registering property, trading across borders, and dealing with construction permits.

The President positioned the recently enacted Competition Amendment Act as a bulwark against economic concentration, which is a major constraint to growth in the South African economy.

The new laws will give the competition authorities the ability to address abuse of dominance and high concentration that keeps small and emerging companies out of the economy. 

The combined efforts of DTI, the IDC and partnerships with the private sector are expected to provide support of over R40 billion to black industrialists over the next five years. 

The IDC is expected to provide R11 billion in support to women-empowered enterprises alone, and further funds will be made available for youth-enterprises.

Through spatial interventions like special economic zones, reviving local industrial parks, business centres, digital hubs and township and village enterprises, economic development is taking effect in local areas.

“If we are to achieve the South Africa we want, we need to forge durable partnerships between government, business, labour, communities and civil society,” said President Ramaphosa.

“Government is hard at work to create an enabling environment, use public resources wisely and invest in developing the country’s human potential.”


Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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President Ramaphosa undertakes working visits to France, Japan
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President Cyril Ramaphosa will undertake working visits to France and Japan from 24 to 30 August 2019 to participate in a G7 Summit that will focus on eliminating inequalities globally, and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VII) Summit that will strengthen   partnership between Japan and African states. 
 
The working visits will also provide a platform for President Ramaphosa and members of Cabinet to invite global partners to experience South Africa as an investment destination and trade partner, and to participate in the country’s efforts to secure faster, sustainable and inclusive economic growth and reduce unemployment. 
 
G7 SUMMIT 
 
The thematic focus of the 2019 G7 Summit in Biarritz, France, on 25 and 26 August 2019 is the reduction of inequalities prevailing around the world. 
 
The G7 is a forum of the seven countries with the world's most industrialized and developed economies - France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada - whose government leaders meet annually to discuss important global economic, political, social and security issues. 
 
Together, the G7 countries represent approximately 30% to 40% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and 10% of the world’s population. The G7 Presidency, which rotates annually among its Member States, is responsible for setting the agenda of each year’s summit. 
 
France has invited major economies with regional influence as well as strategic African partners and key representatives of civil society, to build a renewed partnership and form coalitions around projects and solutions to combat inequality more effectively. 
 
The Summit will deliberate all manifestations of inequality – social, economic, environmental and in other dimensions – globally. 
 
G7 proceedings under the French presidency are structured into three tracks: G7 and Africa Partnership (South Africa, Rwanda, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Senegal and the Chair of the African Union Commission); G7 and four Biarritz Partners (South Africa, India, Australia and Chile), and G7 and all partners. 
 
President Macron has invited President Ramaphosa to the three working sessions that the G7 countries will host with their partners. 
The first session will deal with “Freedoms within the digital world” under the G7 and four Biarritz Partners track. 
 
The second session will be dedicated to the G7 partnership with Africa, for which G7 countries aim to define a new goal of serving development and peace throughout the continent. This session will see engagement among the G7 and African Partners.

The third working session and one in which civil society will participate, will address environmental issues, and more specifically the preservation of biodiversity, climate and oceans. 
 
In terms of climate change and the advancing shift from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, South Africa believes the energy transition should be a just transition in which workers’ livelihoods are protected, working conditions are fair and people are reskilled for participation in emerging industries. The transition to new sources of energy should also benefit all sectors of society.

South Africa will utilise the G7 forum to promote its economic agenda, and particularly to promote itself as a major investment destination; further the interests of the African Union which it will chair in 2020, and collaborate with other developing countries that have been invited to participate in the 2019 G7 in order to advance Africa’s developmental agenda. 
 
The Summit is expected to produce a range of declarations that will form the basis of action plans for addressing the challenges and embracing opportunities identified during the Biarritz deliberations. 
 
President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor and Minister of Communications and Telecommunications Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams. 
 
TICAD VII 
 
President Ramaphosa will travel from France to Japan to participate in the TICAD VII Summit in Yokohama from 28 to 30 August 2019 
 
The Tokyo International Conference on African Development will be convened under the theme of “Advancing Africa’s Development through Technology, Innovation and People”. 
 
TICAD is a multilateral leaders’ forum on African development that was first convened in 1993 in Japan. 
 
TICAD VII has identified three overarching priorities, namely accelerating economic transformation and improving business environment through innovation and private sector engagement; deepening sustainable and resilient society, and strengthening peace and stability. 
 
The Summit will focus on science, technology and innovation; human resource development and education; the oceans economy; climate change and disaster risk reduction, and agriculture. 
 
South Africa views the partnership between Japan and the African continent as an enabler for infrastructure development and industrialisation throughout the continent. 
 
President Ramaphosa will also on the margins of TICAD address an investment event convened by the Department of Trade and Industry. 
 
More than 140 Japanese companies have an investment footprint in South Africa totalling more than R90 billion. 
 
The government of Japan as well as the country’s corporate sector view South Africa as a strategic partner on the African continent and within the context of the programmes and activities of TICAD. 
 
President Ramaphosa is expected to have a number of bilateral engagements with counterparts attending the Summit. 
 
On Wednesday, 28 August, the President will participate in a South Africa-Japan business roundtable to be hosted at the headquarters of the Nissan Corporation and in which a South African business delegation will engage with their counterparts in Japanese commerce and industry. 
 
On the same day, the President will also address a Summit forum on Science and Technology in Society and will co-hair a plenary session on economic transformation. 
 
On 29 August the President will participate in a public-private business dialogue coordinated by Trade and Investment South Africa, an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. 
 
The President will also have an engagement with the Japan External Trade Organisation, a government-related organisation that promotes mutually beneficial trade and investment relations between Japan and other nations. 
 
President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor; Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel and Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Dr Blade Nzimande. 
 

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President – 072 854 5707 
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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President Ramaphosa arrives in France for G7 Summit
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Biarritz, France, today, Sunday, 25 August 2019, to participate in a G7 Summit that is focused on the elimination of inequalities of various kinds globally. 

The G7 comprises France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, whose government leaders meet annually to discuss important global economic, political, social and security issues.

President Ramaphosa is invited to this year's G7 Summit by President Emmanuel Macron of the Republic of France. The summit is structured into three  tracks: G7 and Africa Partnership (South Africa, Rwanda, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Senegal and the Chair of the African Union Commission), G7 and four  Biarritz Partners (South Africa, India, Australia and Chile), and G7 and all partners. 

The working visit will also provide a platform for President Ramaphosa and members of Cabinet to invite global partners to experience South Africa as an investment destination and trade partner, and to participate in the country's efforts to secure faster, sustainable and inclusive economic growth and reduce unemployment. 

The Summit will deliberate on all manifestations of inequality – social, economic, environmental and in other dimensions – globally. It is expected to produce a range of declarations that will form the basis of action plans for addressing the challenges and embracing opportunities identified during the Biarritz deliberations. 

President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor and Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.
  

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President – 072 854 5707 

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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President ends G7 visit, turns focus to Japan-Africa Summit
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded a working visit to Biarritz, France, where he urged the world’s most advanced economies to partner with South Africa and the continent of Africa in exploring the opportunities presented by free trade and the digital economy, and in mitigating the   impacts of climate change.

President Ramaphosa was invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to participate in the 2019 G7 Summit which was dedicated to addressing inequalities in its various forms in global society.

The Summit was structured into three tracks: G7 and Africa Partnership (South Africa, Rwanda, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Senegal and the Chair of the  African Union Commission), G7 and four Biarritz Partners (South Africa, India, Australia and Chile), and the G7 and all partners.

During the two-day working visit on 25 and 26 August 2019, President Ramaphosa addressed various Summit forums and participated in a working lunch that brought together African Union Chair President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, President Macky Sell of Senegal and President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré of Burkina Faso.

The President also held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President Sebastian Pinera of Chile, and former Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte.

With South Africa due to become Chair of the African Union for a one-year term in 2020, President Ramaphosa used the bilateral engagements to solicit support for the African Union’s realisation of its developmental Agenda 2063.

President Ramaphosa also expressed South Africa’s commitment to mitigation of climate change, as well as to a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy that will protect jobs and livelihoods and give communities equitable, affordable access to emerging alternatives in energy.

The President highlighted the potential opportunities arising for the continent of Africa and global partners from the inception of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area that will create the world’s largest single free trade area with a market of 1,2 billion people.

I would like to commend the leaders of the G7 for seeking to reorient its relationship with Africa to tackle these challenges.

We are therefore looking forward to developing concrete initiatives through the G7 Africa partnership that will support Agenda 2063 and the digital transformation of Africa.

The President urged his African counterparts and G7 leaders to support interventions to silence the guns of conflict in Africa. Peace and stability was a key theme of the G7 Africa Partnership dialogue.

President Ramaphosa commended G7 leaders for seeking to reorient the relationship with Africa to tackle developmental challenges and said the advent of 4th Industrial Revolution technologies and the increasing automation of services through artificial intelligence and robotics was an important development in human progress. It presented unprecedented opportunities while at the same time posing a serious threat to the conventional way of living and working.

If deliberate efforts were not taken, the digital divide could widen and worsen economic disparities.

The President urged the G7 to remain engaged with Africa to ensure digitisation reduces inequality and supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and inclusive economic growth.

In keeping with the Summit’s focus on inequality, President Ramaphosa said the empowerment of women was central in poverty eradication and promoting inclusive economic growth in Africa.

“In this regard, eliminating financing barriers that discriminate against women can increase women entrepreneurship while expanding economic opportunities and enabling them to participate meaningfully in the economy,” the President said.

“The empowerment of women, particularly through the vehicle of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) will positively contribute to inclusive growth, and in turn address the challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality.”

Later today, Monday 26 August 2019, President Ramaphosa will travel from France to Yokohama, Japan, where he will participate in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development will be convened under the theme of “Advancing Africa’s Development through Technology, Innovation and People”.

TICAD is a multilateral leaders’ forum on African development that was first convened in 1993 in Japan.

TICAD VII has identified three overarching priorities, namely accelerating economic transformation and improving business environment through innovation and private sector engagement; deepening sustainable and resilient society, and strengthening peace and stability.

The Summit will focus on science, technology and innovation; human resource development and education; the oceans economy; climate change and disaster risk reduction, and agriculture.


Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President – 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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 Union Building