Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to offer Oral Replies to NCOP on issues including South Africa’s position regarding its membership of the International Criminal Court

Cape Town - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is poised to engage with members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP)   during oral replies to questions on a number of issues of national interest including South Africa’s position regarding the intended   withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the background of the recent Gauteng North Court decision on the matter.
 
Among key issues the Deputy President is expected to provide oral replies to matters concerning question on the national minimum   wage, SANAC’S efforts to reduce gender-based violence, public access to the parliamentary communication channel, and  alignment of   provincial plans with the National Development Plan (NDP).
 
 On the national minimum wage members of the NCOP have requested to be briefed on measures that NEDLAC has undertaken to determine the human resource and organisational capacity to monitor and enforce compliance with the proposed national minimum wage of R20-00 an hour and expected to come into effect on 01 May 2018.
 
Equally Deputy President Ramaphosa who also chairs the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) will brief members of the NCOP on efforts to reduce the HIV epidemic as well as the national strategy to reach out to the sex worker sectors against the background of the current legislation that outlaws sex work.
 
The Deputy President is once more expected to brief the NCOP on programmes that government has embarked upon to deal with recent acts of violence and protests in various communities against drugs and crime in general. In his previous interaction with members of the National Assembly, Deputy President Ramaphosa condemned the violence in the communities and stressed that South Africans are not xenophobic.
 
Deputy President Ramaphosa has also been requested to reflect on the need to increase the footprint of the national parliamentary TV channel as a means of communication and reaching out to various communities.
 
In the context of the National Development Plan, Deputy President Ramaphosa will brief members of the NCOP on government efforts to ensure alignment of provincial government plans with the National Development Plan as part of efforts to address challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
 

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria