President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday, 08 September 2022, deliver the keynote address at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Council of Mayors Conference at the East London International Convention Centre in the Eastern Cape. 

The SALGA Council of Mayors has since its formation in 2016 gathered mayors from across the country to deliberate and collaborate on matters concerning service provision, local governance and strengthening municipalities to carry out their Constitutional mandate.  

The Council of Mayors will on 8 and 9 September 2022 inaugurate new members who have become local government leaders since the November 2021 local government elections.

The Council of Mayors acts as a consultative forum for the development of local government positions on policies and legislation impacting local government.

This structure also identifies policy and legislative matters that SALGA needs to include in its advocacy, lobbying, and strategic engagements.

This collective of mayors identifies challenges faced by the executive in municipalities and proposes solutions and approaches
to address prevailing challenges facing local government.

President Ramaphosa will deliver the keynote address in the opening session of the conference under the theme “The role of Mayors to enhance good governance and sustainability”.

This engagement follows the South African Human Rights Commission National Conference on Local Governance which the President addressed on local government accountability, service delivery and human rights several days ago. 

Members of the national executive will join the conference of mayors for discussions on transitional progress following the 2021 elections; local government finances;
financial management and municipal financial recovery; opportunities for developing human settlements; safe and secure communities; the rural roads programme, the classification and proclamation of roads and related funding, as well as the status of water, sanitation and waste management.

Details are as follows:
Date: 08 September 2022
Time: 09h00 (Media to arrive at 08h00)
Venue: East London International Convention Centre   

Members of the media who wish to attend the conference are requested to register with Sivuyile Mbambato on smbambato@salga.org.za  , by 06 September 2022. 


Media enquiries:
South African Local Government Association
Tebogo Mosala , Head of Marketing and Communication - 084 6667699 or tmosala@salga.org.za

The Presidency 
Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315 or media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Sunday, 04 September 2022, join families of the police officers and reservists who lost their lives in the line of duty at the annual South African Police Service (SAPS) Commemoration Day.

The event will take place at the South African Police Service (SAPS) Memorial Site at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

This year’s event commemorates members of the SAPS who have fallen in the line of duty in the 12 months between 01 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. 

Members of the media wishing to attend the event are requested to submit credentials to Colonel Athlenda Mathe on 082 040 8808

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Date: Sunday, 04 September 2022
Time: 10h00
Venue: SAPS Memorial Site, Union Buildings, Pretoria

NOTE TO MEDIA: Members of the media are reminded that no drones will be allowed for the duration of the programme.

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sincere condolences at the passing of His Excellency Mikhail Gorbachev, Nobel Laureate and last leader of the Soviet Union.

Mr Gorbachev passed away at the age of 91, with his political career crowned by the glasnost and perestroika reforms he initiated in the late 1980s, to transform the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and to end the Cold War, which marked geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States.

The President joins the international community in offering his condolences to Mr Gorbachev’s family and associates, including the esteemed circle of Nobel Laureates, among whom President Nelson Mandela was numbered.

South Africa is greatly indebted to the support provided by the Soviet Union over an extended period – including Mr Gorbachev’s term of office – to South Africa’s liberation movement and to anti-colonial struggles in Southern Africa.

As the first President of a democratic South Africa, President Mandela visited the Russian Federation in 1999 to express his appreciation for this solidarity.

In November 1986, Mr Gorbachev, as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union’s Central Committee, hosted African National Congress President Oliver Tambo and former President Thabo Mbeki, for deliberations in Moscow on the anti-apartheid struggle and international questions.

President Ramaphosa said: “Mikhail Gorbachev was a statesman who was able to balance his love for his country and the advancement of its interests with the vision of a world in which conflict was reduced and humanity was able to live in conditions of peace and tolerance.

“In support of our own liberation, Mikhail Gorbachev sustained the Soviet Union’s support for our struggle in the critical period that led to the unbanning of the liberation movement and our transition to democracy.

“We are humbled by the regard he expressed for Nelson Mandela as an inspiration to him and as a model of leadership to the world.

“We will remember Mikhail Gorbachev with appreciation for his role in making our country a better place within a better world.”


Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

The Presidency has noted with concern claims made in the National Assembly yesterday afternoon (30 August 2022) that President Cyril Ramaphosa did not answer the question for oral reply on the robbery that occurred at his Limpopo farm in January 2020.
 
On a proper reading of the question, President Ramaphosa did, in fact, answer the question.
 
The question that was posed asked “whether …he considered it prudent to take the nation into his confidence on the serious allegations surrounding his Phala Phala farm…, by accounting to the people of South Africa and speaking on the specified issue in the National Assembly…”
 
The President responded that he stands ready to take the nation into his confidence and that he would do so through the due legal and Parliamentary processes.
 
He indicated that he has responded, and will continue to respond, to all the questions that have been put to him by the relevant authorities. He also indicated that he would cooperate with, and be fully accountable to, the Section 89 process that Parliament has initiated.
 
It is clear from the President’s reply that he considers it prudent to account on this matter through the due processes.
 
This is consistent with what the President has said from the outset that there is no basis for the claims of criminal conduct that have been made against him, and that he will provide any information that the relevant authorities require.
 
Below in full is the question for oral reply and the President’s response:
 
---------
 
QUESTION:
 
(1)    Whether, notwithstanding the ongoing investigations by the Hawks and the Acting Public Protector, he has considered it prudent to take the nation into his confidence on the serious allegations surrounding his Phala Phala farm (details furnished), by accounting to the people of South Africa and speaking on the specified issue in the National Assembly, where the elected representatives of the people can engage him on the scandal that has divided the country and caused immeasurable harm to the reputation of the Republic;
 
(2)    whether with the benefit of hindsight, he has found that he could have responded differently to the serious allegations surrounding him with regard to the entire saga around his Phala Phala farm?
 
REPLY:
 
Honourable Members,
 
I know there is a great deal of interest in my answer to this question and I’d like to say that, without appearing that I do not want to answer questions, that I do not want to be accountable, I should say that as I have indicated before – in written replies to Members of this House, in the debate on the Presidency Budget Vote and in statements on various public platforms – I stand ready to cooperate with any investigations on this matter.
 
Investigations are ongoing by a variety of agencies and the focus that various agencies are putting on this matter demonstrates the importance of this matter and the way they are dealing with it.
 
I have responded, and will continue to respond, to all the questions that have been put to me by the relevant authorities.
 
In the course of what they are working on, the authorities have said that it is best if they deal with all these attendent matters relating to this theft that occurred at the farm, and be able to address every issue. I have been counselled and advised that it is best to address these matters when those processes have been done. I stand ready, as people have said, to take the nation into my confidence. I stand ready to do so, to give an explanation. But for me, it has been important that I should give space, stand back and allow the various agencies to deal with these matters as thoroughly as I believe they are doing.
 
While there are clearly individuals and organisations that seek some mileage out of this issue, the most appropriate response from my side is for the law to take its course.
 
It is important for me that due process is followed, including the process that is going to unfold in Parliament. I stand ready to cooperate with that process as well and will be ready to be fully accountable.
 
I stand here as Cyril Ramaphosa not being unwilling to be accountable. I want to be fully accountable and I am saying once again that it is important, and those who are dealing with these matters have said it is important that we be given time and space to deal with all the aspects of this matter.
 
I thank you.
 

Media enquires: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President on +27 82 835 6315
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday, 1 September 2022, address a national conference focused on local government accountability, service delivery and human rights.

The two-day event at the Capital On The Park Hotel in Sandton on 31 August and 1 September is co-convened by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission).
 
President Ramaphosa will deliver the keynote address on Thursday.

The South African Human Rights Commission has, as part of its mandate, identified a range of systemic challenges at the local sphere of governance, that hinders the attainment and enjoyment of human rights.  

Local government is responsible for services that are necessary for the realisation of basic rights as outlined in the constitutional Bill of Rights.

The conference will see critical voices and role-players deliberate on local government challenges with the aim of enhancing human rights-based service delivery.

These discussions will enable the Commission to: 

- Collaboratively deliberate on the key systemic challenges facing local government;

- Interrogate the roles and responsibilities of the other spheres of government, and government entities, in supporting the local sphere of government;

- Explore the role of various actors in holding the local sphere of government accountable;

- Deliberate on possible solutions to address and tackle the deteriorating state of service delivery within the local sphere of government;

- Consider methods for effective monitoring of service delivery, ensuring accountability, engagement, non-discrimination, and transparency in service delivery;

- Consider strategies for policy shifts towards a pro-poor, developmental local government sphere; and

- Strengthen old and establish new partnerships across sectors.

Details are as follows:

Date: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Time: 09h00 (Media to arrive at 8h00)
Venue: Capital on the Park Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg

Members of the media who wish to attend the conference are requested to register with Ms Alucia Sekgathume on asekgathume@sahrc.org.za, by 30 August 2022. 


Media enquiries:

South African Human Rights Commission: Wisani Baloyi, Acting Communications Coordinator/Spokesperson - 081 016 8308

The Presidency: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his warmest and most sincere congratulations to President João Lourenço and the people of the Republic of Angola on his re-election as the President of the Republic of Angola.

President Ramaphosa said the election results reflect the trust and confidence the Angolan people have in him.
 
“I am looking forward to working with President João Lourenço to strengthen the strong and cordial bilateral relations between our two countries as well as in matters of mutual interest in the African continent and our region, the Southern African Development Community (SADC),” President Ramaphosa added.

President Ramaphosa said it further gives him great pleasure that the elections were conducted in a calm environment, wherein the people of Angola exercised their democratic right of electing a government of their own choosing. 


Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

South Africa’s response to illegal migration and actions at local government and community level to combat the prevalence of rape and other forms of gender-based violence are among key national issues President Cyril Ramaphosa will address in the National Assembly tomorrow, Tuesday, 30 August 2022.
 
The President will also outline the importance of the recent Presidential Social Sector Summit in enabling civil society to be effective in tackling poverty and inequality as part of the national effort to overcome the many social ills that confront communities.
 
President Ramaphosa will touch on these issues as part of responding to Questions for Oral Reply in the National Assembly. The President will interact with Members of Parliament on a virtual platform during the hybrid session due to his preparation in Gauteng for public and other engagements during the course of this week.
 
As part of his replies, the President will brief Parliament on how Eskom is preparing to integrate renewable energy capacity into the national grid as part of increasing energy supply and reducing the risk of loadshedding.
 
Members of Parliament have also submitted questions on the investigation by law enforcement agencies into allegations around the President’s Phala Phala game farm, as well as whether the South African National Defence Force has a role to play in combating criminality in the country.
 

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has strengthened South Africa’s fight against fraud and corruption with the appointment of members of a National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC), which brings together representatives from civil society, including business, who will work alongside government to prevent and stamp out wrongdoing.

The Council will advise the President on matters related to fighting corruption, in line with the National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2020-2030. Among other areas of focus, the Council will advise the President on effective implementation of the anti-corruption strategy by government and civil society, including the private sector.

The Council will also provide advisory input on matters related to government’s comprehensive response to the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture.

An interdepartmental team led by the Presidency is currently developing government’s response, which President Ramaphosa will present to Parliament by 22 October 2022.

The Commission has made wide-ranging recommendations on dealing with cases of fraud and corruption as presented in testimony to the Commission, and measures to be taken to prevent, detect and prosecute corruption across all sectors of society into the future.

The National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council is a multi-sectoral partnership for advocacy and action against fraud and corruption that will augment the work done by law enforcement agencies who play an independent role in terms of combating corruption and other criminal activities.

The Council has been established to deepen the country’s efforts to rid society and the administration of corruption, improve investor confidence and secure higher levels of public trust.

The new body will advise government on the critical preventative measures, institutional capabilities and resources that are required to proactively curb a recurrence of state capture and to prevent fraud and corruption in South Africa.   

The appointment of the Council is another fulfillment of commitments made by President Ramaphosa in the February 2021 State of the Nation Address.

Council members have been drawn from civil society, academia, business and labour, based on a list of publicly nominated individuals.

The diversity of the Council reflects the understanding that corruption takes on many forms in all sectors of society and that prevention, detection and consequence management requires an inclusive and collective effort, in the spirit of “Let’s Grow South Africa Together”.

The members of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council who will serve a three-year term from 1 September 2022 are:

1) Ms Kavisha Pillay
2) Mr David Harris Lewis
3) Mr Nkosana Dolopi
4) Ms Barbara Schreiner
5) Adv. Nokuzula Gloria Khumalo
6) Professor Firoz Cachalia (Chair)
7) Mx Sekoetlane Phamodi
8) Ms Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki
9) Inkosikazi Nomandla Dorothy Mhlauli (Deputy Chair)

In executing its advisory role, the Council will interface with a number of coordinating Ministers who play significant executive oversight roles on key legislative and policy mandate areas related to combating corruption.   

The Advisory Council will advise on the effective implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy by government, civil society and the private sector, and on strengthening of South Africa’s anti-corruption architecture.

The Council will also engage with sectoral stakeholders, such as organised business and labour, academia, community- and faith-based organisations to further develop the country’s anti-corruption agenda and evaluate progress in the implementation of the anti-corruption strategy.

The President wishes the Council well in its pioneering work.

President Ramaphosa said: “The National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council is the embodiment of our united resolve as a nation to rid all components of our society of all forms of crime and corruption and develop a whole-of-society response to and prevention of this scourge.

“We have, over a number of years, witnessed the varied impacts of corruption on our public and private sectors. This damage exposed systemic failures as well as shortcomings in personal ethics and commitment to the country.

“The Council will enjoy the support of the vast majority of South Africans, who are honest and law-abiding and want our country to succeed. The Council will be a source of concern only to those whose days for undermining our development and prosperity are numbered.”


Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will travel to the Republic of Angola on Sunday, 28 August 2022, to attend the State Funeral Service of Former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who served as the second President of the Republic of Angola from 1979-2017.

President Dos Santos passed away on 08 July 2022, at the age of 79, following an extended period of illness and hospitalisation in Spain.

The State Funeral Service will take place in Luanda at 10h00 (11h00 SA Time) on Sunday, 28 August 2022, the day of President Dos Santos’ 80th birthday. 
 
President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Alvin Botes. 


Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to President Ramaphosa – 082 835 6315

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa met with the Right Honorable Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Board Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), to discuss the need for leaders to urgently address the reversals being witnessed in the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.

These reversals have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and other compounding crises, such as increasing incidences of conflict and the climate emergency.  

President Ramaphosa and Rt Hon Helen Clark met today, Thursday, 25 August 2022.

Half-way toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world is at a point where instead of working towards closing the gender equity gap, decades of progress are being rolled back, with women’s and girls’ fundamental rights and health under threat. 

PMNCH is the world’s largest alliance for women’s, children’s and adolescents' health and well-being, partnering with sovereign states and over 1,300 partner organizations, hosted by the World Health Organization. The mission of PMNCH is to “mobilise, align and amplify the voices of partners to advocate for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being, particularly the most vulnerable.”
 
The President and Rt. Hon. Clark explored opportunities to undertake high-level political advocacy and strategic interventions to amass political, financial, and programmatic commitments from all sectors of society, including the private sector, critical to delivering on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This includes the SDG 3 targets for women’s, children’s and adolescents' health, especially in the face of the toxic combination of COVID-19, escalating gender-based violence, economic instability, the climate crisis and conflicts. 
 
South Africa’s leadership is anchored in a set of commitments by the government to implement various programs at the country level that address service delivery, financial resourcing, nutrition, HIV prevention and youth empowerment. 
 
Says President Ramaphosa: “I was impressed with the way the PMNCH sought to elicit our commitments for our people first because indeed charity begins at home. I hope that as Head of State, I can  build confidence in our ability to positively impact these vulnerable population groups by sharing the models being implemented across the Republic of South Africa, exchanging best practices, and mobilizing other champions to galvanise greater action, thereby elicit lasting commitments for real change in the lived experience of our women, adolescents and children.” 

The Right Honorable Helen Clark met with President Ramaphosa to invite President Ramaphosa to engage closely with PMNCH to shape the agenda for the Partnership at the highest political levels. “We are deeply honored that President Ramaphosa has agreed to support this critical agenda as we need urgent and transformative action to reverse these worrying trends. This will help drive the much-needed political will behind issues that impact on outcomes for women, children and adolescents. At PMNCH, we are committed to working alongside the President to position this agenda so that action is taken to get back on track towards achievement of SDG3. “At this time when compounding crises are rolling back previous progress made on women’s empowerment and the health of communities,” she said.

 
Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President - +27 82 835-6315

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria