Deputy President Paul Mashatile will on Saturday, 24 October 2026, officiate the opening of the KwaMashu/Ntuzuma Parliamentary Constituency Office, located in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. 

A PCO is a local office that connects Parliament and Members of Parliament (MPs) with the communities they serve. It provides a point of contact where community members can raise issues affecting them, seek assistance, and bring service delivery concerns to the attention of the relevant authorities and their elected representatives. 

Details of the opening are as follows:
Date: Saturday, 24 October 2026
Time: 10h00 (Venue opens from 08h00)
Venue: Ntuzuma F Community Hall (near Kwa Nozaza Shopping Centre). 

For more information and media accreditation please contact, Mr Sthembiso Sithole (The Presidency) on 078 356 4355 or  Mr Bongani Majola (The Presidency) on 082 339 1993. 

Media enquiries: Mr Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President on 066 195 8840

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

Programme Director, Ms Zengeziwe Msimang,
Minister of Employment and Labour, Ms Nomakhosazana Meth,
Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mr Buti Manamela,
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Mr Dean Macpherson,
Board Chairperson of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, Mr Sandile Gwala,
CEO of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, Ms Kasthuri Soni,
President of Business Unity South Africa, Mr Mxolisi Mgojo,
Board Chairperson of MTN, Mr Mcebisi Jonas,
Executive Director of Yellowwoods, Ms Nicola Galombik,
Founder of This Day Foundation, Mr Gary Lubner,
Leaders of business, labour and civil society,
Distinguished Guests,
Members of the media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning.

It is a pleasure to join you at this important gathering, where we have come together to confront one of the greatest challenges facing our country: the exclusion of millions of young South Africans from meaningful economic opportunity.

We are here because we share a conviction that the future of South Africa depends, to a great extent, on what we do today to create opportunities for our young people.

We are here because we recognise that youth unemployment is not merely an economic challenge.

It is a social challenge. It is a human challenge. And it is a challenge that goes to the very heart of our nation's future.

Every young person who wants to work but cannot find employment represents potential that is not being realised.

Behind every unemployed young person is a story.

It may be the story of a young woman who has completed her studies but cannot find her first job.

It may be the story of a young man who has sent out countless applications without receiving a response.

Or it may be the story of a young entrepreneur with a promising idea but without the capital, networks or support to turn that idea into a viable business.

These are not simply statistics.

These are the lives, hopes and aspirations of our young people.

And we cannot be content with a society in which so many young people stand outside the gates of economic opportunity, looking in.

We must open those gates.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since the beginning of our democracy, we have understood that the development of our young people is fundamental to building a prosperous and inclusive society.

We have expanded access to education, training and opportunities for personal development.

We have introduced programmes to help young people gain workplace experience, acquire skills and enter the labour market.

Yet, despite these efforts, far too many young South Africans remain unemployed.

This tells us something important.

We cannot solve the challenge of youth unemployment simply by doing more of what we have always done.

We must be prepared to do things differently.

We must be prepared to challenge established practices, remove unnecessary barriers and rethink the way we prepare young people for the world of work.

Above all, we must be prepared to work together in ways that produce results.

That is why the Government-Business Partnership is so important.

Over the past few years, this partnership has demonstrated what can be achieved when government and business work together around shared national priorities.

We have seen the value of cooperation in addressing constraints on economic growth, improving the investment environment and supporting reforms in critical sectors of our economy.

We must now bring that same spirit of cooperation, urgency and determination to the challenge of youth unemployment.

For this partnership to succeed, we must recognise that the employment of young people is not solely the responsibility of government.

Nor can it be left to business alone.

It is a shared national responsibility.

Government must create an enabling environment for investment, enterprise development and employment.

Business must invest, expand productive activity and open its workplaces to young people.

Educational institutions must equip young people with the knowledge and skills that employers need.

Labour, civil society and communities must help us ensure that opportunities are accessible, fair and inclusive.

And young people themselves must be active participants in shaping their economic future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

One of the most important lessons we have learned is that the first opportunity is often the most difficult to obtain.

Many young people find themselves caught in a familiar predicament.

They cannot get a job because they do not have experience.

And they cannot get experience because nobody will give them a job.

We must break this cycle.

I want to make a particular appeal to the business leaders gathered here today.

Let us stop treating a lack of experience as a lack of ability.

Let us recognise potential, aptitude, determination and the willingness to learn.

Let us create more opportunities for young people to enter workplaces, develop their skills and demonstrate what they can do.

A young person should not have to spend years searching for an opportunity simply because no employer is prepared to give them a first chance.

We need employers who are willing to look beyond formal qualifications and previous employment.

We need recruitment practices that recognise talent wherever it is found.

And we need workplaces that are prepared to train, mentor and develop young people.

This is not an appeal for charity.

It is an appeal for investment in the future of our economy.

Young people bring energy, creativity, adaptability and fresh perspectives into the workplace.

They are often the first to embrace new technologies, new ways of working and new business opportunities.

In an economy being reshaped by digital innovation, artificial intelligence and the transition to cleaner forms of energy, these qualities are increasingly valuable.

Our young people should not merely be spectators to these changes.

They must be among those who drive them.

They must be innovators, entrepreneurs, technicians, researchers, artisans and business leaders in the industries of the future.

We must prepare them not only for the jobs that exist today, but also for the jobs that are yet to be created.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have already established important foundations on which to build.

Through the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, the SA Youth Pathways Network, the Youth Employment Service and other initiatives, we have developed practical ways of connecting young people to opportunities.

These programmes have shown that when government, business and civil society combine their resources and capabilities, they can reach young people who would otherwise remain excluded.

Public employment programmes have also demonstrated their value.

Young people have been able to gain work experience while supporting education, food security, community safety, environmental protection and other important social needs.

These opportunities do more than provide an income.

They restore confidence, build skills and give young people the dignity that comes from being able to contribute.

But we must be clear about our ambition.

Our objective cannot simply be to place young people in temporary programmes. It must be to create pathways into sustainable livelihoods.

A public employment opportunity should be a stepping stone to further training, entrepreneurship or lasting employment.

A workplace placement should be an entry point into a career.

And a skills programme should equip a young person with capabilities that are valued in the economy.

We must therefore strengthen the connections between education, training, work experience and employment.

For too long, we have trained young people without sufficient consideration of where they will work once their training is complete.

We have produced qualifications that do not always correspond with the skills required by employers.

And we have allowed too great a distance to develop between our educational institutions and the world of work.

This must change.

That is why we are undertaking reforms to our skills development system, including the Sector Education and Training Authorities and our technical and vocational education and training colleges.

We want a system that is more responsive to the needs of industry and more effective in preparing young people for employment.

We want businesses to play a greater role in identifying skills needs, designing training programmes and providing workplace learning.

We want our colleges to become centres of practical excellence, producing young people who are ready to participate in the modern economy.

And we want young people to see vocational and technical careers as attractive and rewarding pathways to success.

Not every young person needs to attend a university to build a successful future.

Our economy needs artisans, technicians, builders, electricians, mechanics, agricultural specialists and people with a wide range of practical and technical skills.These are professions that build our country.They must be respected, supported and expanded.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We must also recognise that the future of youth employment cannot depend entirely on the creation of traditional jobs.

South Africa needs more young entrepreneurs.

We need young people who establish businesses, develop products, provide services and create employment for others.

Across our country, young South Africans are already demonstrating remarkable enterprise and initiative.

They are starting businesses in townships and rural communities.

They are using digital platforms to reach customers.

They are finding innovative ways to solve problems in their communities.

But too many promising enterprises fail to grow because they cannot access finance, markets, business support or the infrastructure they need.

We must change this.

Government and business must work together to make it easier for young people to start and grow businesses.

We must expand access to start-up capital and working capital.

We must open procurement opportunities and supply chains to youth-owned enterprises.

We must provide mentoring, business development support and access to markets.

And we must remove unnecessary regulatory and administrative obstacles that discourage entrepreneurship.

I would particularly encourage established businesses to look at how they can bring young entrepreneurs into their value chains.

A young entrepreneur does not always need a grant.

Sometimes what that entrepreneur needs most is a customer.

A contract.

A market.

An opportunity to prove that their business can deliver.

These are opportunities that established businesses can help provide.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The sectors that offer the greatest opportunities for young people are also sectors that can drive the next phase of South Africa's economic growth.

They include tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, digital services, the green economy and the creative industries.

In each of these sectors, there is potential to create new enterprises, develop new skills and expand employment.

Our task is to translate this potential into real opportunities.

This requires a more deliberate relationship between government, industry and training institutions.

We need to identify where demand for labour is growing.

We need to understand which skills are required.

And we need to ensure that young people are prepared to take up those opportunities.

The Work SA Youth Implementation Plan provides a framework for coordinating these efforts and scaling up approaches that have demonstrated their effectiveness.

But a plan, however well conceived, is only as valuable as its implementation.

We must therefore move beyond the formulation of strategies and the announcement of commitments.

We must make implementation the defining feature of this partnership.

I would like this convening to mark a turning point in how we approach youth employment.

I would like us to leave here with a common understanding of what each social partner must do.

I would like business leaders to identify practical opportunities within their companies and industries to bring more young people into employment.

I would like industry associations to work with employers, including smaller businesses, to expand workplace learning and entry-level recruitment.

I would like our education and training institutions to strengthen their relationships with employers and ensure that the skills they provide lead to real opportunities.

And I would like the relevant government departments and agencies to remove the obstacles that prevent these efforts from succeeding.

We should not be satisfied with broad undertakings.

We need clear responsibilities, practical commitments and a means of assessing whether those commitments are being fulfilled.

We need to know what is working, what is not working and what needs to change.

Where programmes are successful, we must expand them.

Where they are failing, we must improve them.

And where outdated practices stand in the way of progress, we must have the courage to change them.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I want to emphasise that our young people are not asking for special treatment.

They are asking for a fair chance.

They are asking for the opportunity to work, to learn, to earn a living and to build a future.

They are asking for the chance to contribute to the development of their country.
We should listen to them.

We should involve them in the decisions that affect their lives.

And we should recognise that they are not merely beneficiaries of our programmes.

They are partners in the development of our nation.

The young people of South Africa have demonstrated their courage, resilience and determination throughout our history.

They have been at the forefront of struggles for freedom, justice and democracy.

Today, they must be at the forefront of our struggle for economic inclusion and shared prosperity.

Our responsibility is to ensure that their energy and talent are not wasted.

Our responsibility is to build an economy in which hard work, ability and determination are rewarded with opportunity.

An economy in which a young person's prospects are not determined by the circumstances of their birth, the community in which they live or the connections they possess.

An economy in which every young person has a genuine opportunity to succeed.

As we conclude this convening, I want to leave all of us with a challenge.

When we gather again to reflect on the progress of this partnership, let us not be remembered for the speeches we made or the declarations we adopted.

Let us be remembered for the doors we opened.

For the young people who entered workplaces for the first time.

For the entrepreneurs who were able to establish and grow their businesses.

For the young people who acquired skills that enabled them to build sustainable livelihoods.

And for the hope that we restored in communities where opportunity has been absent for far too long.

We have the institutions.

We have the partnerships.

We have the resources, the capabilities and the experience.

What we need now is the determination to act together, with greater urgency and a shared sense of purpose.

The future of our young people cannot wait.

And the future of our country cannot wait.

Let us give every young South African a reason to believe that their future can be better than their present.

Let us give them the opportunity not only to dream of a better South Africa, but to help build it.

Because when we give young people the opportunity to succeed, we give South Africa the opportunity to succeed.

I thank you.
 

Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,
Executive Secretary of SADC, Mr Elias Magosi,
Honourable Ministers, 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon,

This has been a productive meeting where we have been able to engage substantively on matters that are important to the effective functioning of our Community.

We have had the opportunity to consider the reports and recommendations emanating from the meeting of the Council of Ministers. 

We thank the Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers, Minister Lamola, and his counterparts for the preparatory work.

We also wish to thank Mr Elias Magosi, the Executive Secretary of SADC, and the SADC Secretariat for the preparatory work ahead of today’s Summit.

I congratulate the newly appointed Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration. 

This role within the Secretariat is vital as we proceed with greater determination and purpose to build a Southern African economy that draws together the comparative strengths of all Member States.

We wish you well for your tenure. 

We look to the Secretariat to strengthen coordination, accelerate implementation of the regional integration programmes and report regularly on progress and obstacles requiring our attention.

We congratulate the Incoming Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

We reaffirm our support for the Organ as it undertakes the important task of safeguarding the peacefulness and the stability of our region.

Protecting lives, preventing displacement and sustaining peace must remain central to our collective efforts.

Member States must support this work through timely national action, effective coordination and the provision of resources necessary to implement our shared commitments. 

As we advance the priorities agreed at the 46th Ordinary Summit, our efforts must deliver tangible improvements in the lives of our people: greater security, stronger regional production, employment opportunities and shared prosperity.

I remind the Secretariat of the responsibility entrusted to it by Summit to draft criteria and guidelines for the appointment of the Incoming Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, and to submit a report to the Ministerial Committee of the Organ at its meeting in July 2027. 

Let us carry forward the unity demonstrated today with renewed resolve to deliver on these aspirations.

I declare this Extraordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government officially closed.

I thank you.

Your Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia and incoming Chairperson of SADC,
Your Majesty King Mswati III, King of the Kingdom of Eswatini and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation,
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,
Honourable Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers,
Your Excellency Elias Magosi, Executive Secretary of SADC,
Honourable Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

It is my privilege to address this Extraordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community.

I thank Your Majesties and Excellencies for joining this important meeting and for all the work that you have to do at such a time.

We meet just over two months after our successful 46th Ordinary Summit, held in Durban in August this year.

At that Summit we reaffirmed our collective commitment to building a peaceful, secure, integrated and prosperous Southern Africa.

We undertook to accelerate industrialisation, develop local infrastructure, transform agriculture and harness our minerals to drive the development of our economies.

We realised the future prosperity of our region would be dependent on our ability to deepen economic integration, expand productive capacity, create jobs and improve the lives of our people.

We meet today to deal with the institutional matters that are needed to carry out these commitments.

The strength of our regional organisation ultimately depends not only on the decisions we make but also on the ability of our institutions to implement them.

Your Majesties and Excellencies,

This Extraordinary Summit has been convened primarily for the resolution of outstanding issues relating to leadership and the institutional functioning of our organisation.

Among these are the appointment of the Deputy Executive Secretary responsible for Regional Integration and the election of the Incoming Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

These are important responsibilities that are at the heart of SADC’s ability to fulfil its mandate.

The Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration plays an important role in translating our collective aspirations into tangible development results.

As we push to accelerate regional industrialisation, build cross-border infrastructure, promote trade and investment and strengthen regional value chains, we need a Secretariat that is well-equipped, efficient and responsive.

We need an organisation that moves with greater urgency from agreements to implementation, from strategies to programmes, and from commitments to measurable results.

Our citizens need to feel the benefit of regional integration in their daily lives.

They must see these benefits in the availability of employment opportunities, in improved transport and energy networks, in greater food security, in increased trade and in growing economic opportunity.

Regional integration should be more than a mere aspiration expressed in declarations. It must become a reality for the people living in Southern Africa.

All leadership decisions we take today must therefore strengthen our institutional capacity to advance the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020–2030 and our longer-term Vision 2050.

Your Excellencies,

The election of the Incoming Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation is equally important.

Peace, security and political stability are, in the end, the very basis on which the development and prosperity of our region are built.

Our organisation has a proud history of solidarity, cooperation and collective action in the pursuit of peace and security.

We have shown that when we work together we can, indeed, help to resolve disputes, strengthen democratic governance and set up the conditions for sustainable development.

And yet a lot of work is still to be done.

The ongoing instability and humanitarian suffering in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo require our continued attention as a community, and we must work together to achieve a peaceful solution.

We will continue to support the African Union and other regional and international partners to put an end to conflict and create the conditions for lasting peace.

We need to continue to support inclusive dialogue, political stability and institutional reform in Madagascar, and the return to constitutional normality.

In Mozambique we recognise the continued efforts to promote peace, security and development as well as steps to combat terrorism in Cabo Delgado.

These examples show that peace does not come easily.

Peace must be nurtured, institutions must be strengthened and the legitimate aspirations of our people must be addressed.

We have to remain true to constitutionalism, democratic governance, the rule of law and peaceful resolution of disputes.

When we decide the Incoming Chairperson of the Organ, we are entrusting leadership of a structure that will play a fundamental role in the future of our region.

Your Majesties and Excellencies,

As we strengthen our institutional leadership, we must also be cognisant of the larger issues facing Southern Africa.

Among the most pressing of these is the increasing frequency and severity of climate-related disasters.

Our region continues to experience terrible droughts, floods, tropical cyclones and other extreme weather events.

The severe El Niño-induced drought of 2023 and 2024 showed the vulnerability of our region to changes in climatic conditions.

Food and water insecurity affect millions of our people. Agricultural production declined, livestock were lost, and the livelihoods of the least developed communities were severely disrupted.

As we approach another agricultural season, the developing El Niño conditions present new threats to food security, water supply and economic activity.

At the same time, recurrent flooding and cyclones continue to threaten communities, particularly in areas that have faced repeated disasters.

Such challenges have implications that are much broader than national boundaries.

They threaten regional food supplies, damage shared infrastructure, disrupt trade and place enormous pressure on public finances.

They can reverse the development gains our countries have made over many years.

We cannot keep rebuilding the same infrastructure after every disaster without investing enough in preventing and reducing the damage caused by future disasters.

So we need to further strengthen our regional disaster preparedness and response capabilities, improve early warning systems and accelerate investment in climate-resilient infrastructure.

In this regard, I wish to congratulate His Excellency President Daniel Francisco Chapo of Mozambique for organising the International Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in Africa in Maputo from the 13th to the 15th of October 2026.

We are proud of President Chapo, who has been selected by the African Union as the Champion for Disaster Risk Management and has put the urgent problem of disaster preparedness and resilience at the centre of our continental agenda.

Mozambique’s experience of recurrent cyclones, floods and other natural disasters gives particular importance to this initiative. The conference has given us an opportunity to increase cooperation, mobilise investment and encourage a more proactive approach to disaster risk management.

As SADC, we should build on the results of this conference and work towards a region that is better prepared, more resilient and more able to protect its people and its development gains.

This would require more cooperation in water management, agricultural resilience, disaster financing, infrastructure development and the protection of vulnerable communities.

It requires us to recognise that our security is not only political and military. It is economic, environmental and human.

Your Excellencies,

These challenges only reinforce the necessity of having strong, capable and effective regional institutions.

Our people look to SADC not only as the organisation that brings governments together, but also as a community that provides leadership and real solutions to common problems.

Today’s decisions must therefore help to establish an organisation that is more effective, more responsive and more able to meet our regional priorities.

We need to keep the solidarity, consensus and mutual respect which have defined our organisation throughout its history.

We also need to have continuity and stability in our institutions, from the top down and from the bottom up.

As Chairperson of SADC, I am confident that, through our common wisdom and determination to make decisions that are good for our organisation and the people we serve, we will achieve the best for all.

I wish to thank the Council of Ministers, the Secretariat and all officials who have undertaken the preparatory work for this Extraordinary Summit.

Let us approach our conversations with a common determination to strengthen the institutions of our Community, advance regional integration and consolidate peace and stability.

The true measure of our success will not be the number of resolutions we adopt, but the progress we make in improving the lives of the people of Southern Africa.

I look forward to constructive and fruitful discussions.

I thank you.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Thursday, 22 October 2026, launch the Cabinet-approved Revised White Paper on Local Government (WPLG), 2026, at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
 
The launch will be convened under the theme “Every Municipality Must Work: From Policy to Collective Action” and marks an important step in advancing the reform of local government in South Africa.
 
The Revised White Paper builds on the national dialogue on the future of local government, including the resolutions of the 2022 Presidential Local Government Summit, stakeholder consultations and the government’s ongoing efforts to address persistent challenges relating to municipal governance, financial management, institutional capacity and service delivery.
 
The policy provides a framework for a differentiated approach to municipalities, recognising that metropolitan, secondary-city, rural and small-town municipalities have different capacities, challenges and development needs.
 
The launch will also introduce the Implementation Plan and Transition Management Body, which will support the transition from policy development to implementation. The White Paper will be accompanied by the Research Compendium, which consolidates the research informing the policy review.
 
The launch follows the President’s commitments in the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), in which he pledged to finalise a revised White Paper to reimagine the local government system and address its structural and operational challenges.
 
The event will bring together the political and administrative leadership of all 257 municipalities, national and provincial government, Parliament, constitutional and oversight institutions, organised local government, traditional and Khoi-San leadership, organised labour, organised business, civil society, academia, professional bodies and development partners.
 
The launch will provide an opportunity to strengthen stakeholder ownership of the revised policy and reinforce the shared responsibility of government and wider society in building capable, accountable and developmental municipalities that deliver reliable services and respond to the needs of communities.
 
President Ramaphosa will launch the Revised White Paper on Local  Government as follows: 
Date: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Time: 14h00
Venue: Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre, City of Ekurhuleni, Gauteng
 
 
For media accreditation enquiries, please contact Mr Legadima Leso: 066 479 9904
 
 
Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President  -media@presidency.gov.za
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Deputy President Paul Mashatile will on Friday, 23 October 2026, visit the Ohlange Institute in Inanda, eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal Province. 

The visit by the Deputy President forms part of the  Government's programme of strengthening partnerships with the business community, academia, civil society and other sectors in addressing blockages in the country's human resource development pipeline and enhancing integrated service delivery efforts. 

The founding President of a democratic South Africa, Tata Nelson Mandela, cast his historic vote in the school’s chapel in 1994.

During the visit to the institute, Deputy President Mashatile will also visit the Dr John Langalibalele Dube Amphitheatre, a site that is currently undergoing historical preservation and restoration aimed at preserving the legacy of Dr John Langalibalele Dube, uMafukuzela. 

Deputy President Mashatile will be joined by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, Executive Mayor of eThekwini, Cllr Cyril Xaba and  Sport, Arts and Culture MEC Mntomuhle Khawula, Traditional and Inter-Faith Leaders as well as senior government officials.

Details of the visit are as follows:

Date: Friday, 23 October 2026
Time: 13h00 (Media to arrive 12h00)
Venue: Ohlange Institute, Inanda, eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal Province. 

For more information and media accreditation please contact, Sthembiso Sithole (The Presidency) on 078 356 4355 or Tshiamo Selomo (The Presidency) on 066 118 1505.

 

Media enquiries: Mr Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President on 066 195 8840

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

 

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Wednesday, 21 October 2026, open and participate in a Virtual Extraordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government from Cape Town.

The Extraordinary Summit is convened outside the regular annual schedule to address pressing regional matters, including outstanding institutional matters such as the appointment of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration and the election of the incoming Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

In accordance with SADC practice, invitations to Heads of State and Government have been issued by the Chairperson of the Summit.

The meeting follows South Africa’s hosting of the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, from 3 to 18 August 2026.

President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola.

The President’s opening address will take place as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 21 October 2026
Time: 16h00
Platform: PresidencyZA digital platforms

The opening ceremony will be livestreamed on The Presidency’s digital platforms.

 

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Wednesday 21 October 2026, be in Parliament, as Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana will be tabling the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), Cape Town.

The Mid-Term budget plays a critical role in the entire budgetary process as it sets the tone for the country’s fiscal framework for the next national budget.

It also provides Parliament and South Africans with an update on how Treasury perceives the present economic realities.

The MTBPS taking place tomorrow will sets government policy goals and priorities, forecasts macroeconomic track and projects the fiscal framework over the next three years by outlining spending and revenue estimates, among others.

The MTBPS details are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 21 October 2026
Time: 14h00
Venue: Good Hope Chambers, Cape Town

 

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

The Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, will lead the Youth Career and Services Expo in Tembalethu, George.

The expo aims to provide young people with access to career guidance, information on available opportunities, and services that can support their personal and professional development.

Details of the Event are as follows:
Date: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Time: 10h00
Venue: Zone 9 Hall, Ward 15, Tembalethu, George.


Media enquiries: Mandisa Mbele, MandisaM@presidency, 082 580 2213 or Wandiswa Nyawuza, 067 237 3630
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Programme Director,
Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Director-General of Basic Education, Mr Hubert Mathanzima Mweli,
Executive Mayors and leaders of local government,
Traditional leaders,
Early childhood development practitioners,
Social partners in business, philanthropy, labour and civil society,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
Sanibonani. Dumelang. Molweni.
 
It is a pleasure to join you at this important gathering.
 
We are here today to discuss something that lies at the very heart of our country's future.
 
We are here to discuss our children.
 
And, more particularly, what we must do to ensure that every child in South Africa, regardless of where they are born or the circumstances of their family, has the opportunity to develop their full potential.
 
It is inspiring to be among some of the country's foremost specialists in early childhood education.
 
I want to begin by expressing our nation's gratitude to the thousands of early childhood development practitioners, educators, social workers, community organisations and caregivers who devote themselves to nurturing our youngest citizens.
 
Much of your work takes place away from public attention.
 
Yet every day, in villages, townships, informal settlements, suburbs and rural communities, you are helping to shape the future of this nation.
 
The future of South Africa is being shaped not only in our universities, our factories or our boardrooms. It is also being shaped in the classrooms and playrooms of our early learning centres.
 
Preparing the next generation for lives of success is a noble undertaking and a great responsibility.
 
The happy, contented children we see learning in nurturing environments are the result of work that mostly happens behind the scenes.
 
Over the past weeks, we have been out in communities encouraging people to vote in the local government elections on 4 November.
 
We are particularly keen to see young people turn out in their numbers.
 
I have been telling these young voters – Gen Z, as they are called – to 'lock in' and to 'clock it', because it is 'going to be lit' on 4 November.
 
These encounters have prompted a deeper reflection.
 
The first members of Generation Z are already in their late twenties.
 
Their successors, Generation Alpha, are already growing up.
 
And the next generation, Generation Beta, has begun to arrive.
 
These are children who will inherit a world profoundly different from the one in which many of us grew up.
 
Some will learn to swipe a smartphone screen before they can hold a pencil properly.
 
Some will become familiar with digital devices before they enter a classroom.
 
And many will eventually work in occupations that do not yet exist.
 
Artificial intelligence, automation and other technologies will transform how they live, learn and work.
 
But amid all this change, one truth remains constant.
 
A child cannot be prepared for the future unless that child is given a strong foundation in the present.
 
Technology may change the world.
 
But it cannot replace the love, care, encouragement and human interaction that children need to develop.
 
It cannot replace the curiosity awakened by a good teacher.
 
It cannot replace the confidence a child gains when someone believes in them.
 
And it cannot replace the fundamental skills of reading, writing, counting, thinking and understanding.
 
Indeed, as technology becomes more advanced, these human capabilities become even more important.
 
We must therefore prepare our children not merely to use the technologies of the future, but to think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively and adapt to change.
 
That preparation begins in the earliest years of life.
 
Two years from now, many of these children will walk into an early learning centre somewhere in South Africa.
 
There they will be taught the basics of reading, writing and counting.
 
But long before they open their first picture book or pick up their first box of crayons, most will already know how a smartphone works.
 
Today's three- to five-year-olds will grow up in a world where technology changes faster than any previous generation has known.
 
The ABCs and 1-2-3s will not be enough.
 
They will need to learn to think differently.
 
To solve problems differently.
 
And adapt to change differently.
 
Technology will change the jobs they do, the skills they need and the way they live.
 
In that sense, early childhood development is vital to developing a workforce ready for the future.
 
When we moved early childhood development from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education in 2022, we recognised a fundamental distinction.
 
Providing childcare is not the same as providing early education.
 
That decision also means we must change how society – including parents and caregivers – sees early childhood development.
 
Sending a child to an early learning centre is not only about making sure they are safe and fed.
 
It is about structured learning in early literacy and numeracy that prepares them for formal schooling.
 
It is about closing the developmental gaps that leave millions of our children unable to read for meaning by Grade 4.
 
Early learning is about preparing our children for a future whose script has not yet been written.
 
That is why the Bana Pele Shared Blueprint is so significant.
 
It is our roadmap to universal access to early childhood development by 2030.
 
First, it moves us away from fragmented early childhood programmes towards connected systems of support.
 
Second, it strengthens data systems to improve planning in a space that has long been disjointed, where the playing field was neither clear nor level.
 
Third, it sets clear goals for professionalising the sector through the registration of facilities and programmes and the training of practitioners.
 
The Blueprint recognises that early childhood development creates a virtuous circle for society.
 
We all agree that early learning builds stronger foundations for children.
 
It nurtures the skills they need to enter school better prepared, especially in literacy and numeracy.
 
But there are other parts to this virtuous circle.
 
I have often said that we are starting late in building a formalised early childhood development system. Yet starting late is better than never starting at all. As they say, better late than never. 
 
But it should not mean starting slowly. These reforms we have embarked upon in early learning are part of a broader effort to renew South Africa's socio-economic architecture. 
 
Early learning touches on education, health, social protection, employment, and the economy, and it is in these interconnected areas that its benefits will be felt most widely. 
 
By investing in our youngest children, we are laying the foundations for stronger schools, healthier communities, more inclusive growth, and a more capable workforce for the decades ahead.
 
Early learning breaks the cycle of poverty from one generation to the next.
 
Children from poor households who receive quality early learning start school on a more equal footing with their peers from well-resourced areas.
 
Early learning advances the empowerment of women and expands their participation in the economy.
 
When mothers, grandmothers and caregivers know their child is safe and being prepared for school, they are free to work, to start a business, to train or to study.
 
Early childhood development fosters entrepreneurship and creates jobs.
 
Unemployed women and young people, particularly in poor and rural communities, can train as practitioners and open their own early learning centres.
 
Early learning centres can improve child health and development.
 
They provide nutritious meals, often from community gardens.
 
They help keep vaccinations up to date.
 
And they connect families to health and social services when they need them.
 
The virtuous circle is completed by private sector investment.
 
For companies with foresight, investing in early learning is not about meeting targets for the annual report.
 
It is an investment in the workforce of the future.
 
It is an investment in a stronger economy, where technology makes businesses more competitive and profitable.
 
However advanced that becomes, it will still rely on human skill and ability.
 
As a country, we have made considerable progress in expanding access to early learning.
 
Yet around a million children aged three to five are not enrolled in any early learning programme.
 
For many poor families, even low fees are out of reach.
 
As government, we are committed to lowering this barrier.
 
The early childhood development conditional grant has received additional funding.
 
The subsidy per child per day has been increased.
 
But too few eligible facilities receive it.
 
That is why we are intensifying the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive launched last year.
 
South Africa now has over 39,000 registered early learning programmes, caring for more than 1.6 million children.
 
We are cutting the red tape that has stood in the way of registration.
 
Earlier this year, revised norms and standards for early learning centres were gazetted.
 
Cabinet has also approved the Children's Amendment Bill for submission to Parliament.
 
It will simplify the rules for early learning programmes.
 
These reforms must make a practical difference.
 
We must ensure that registration requirements protect children without unnecessarily excluding the very centres that serve our poorest communities.
 
Our approach must be developmental.
 
Where a centre does not meet the required standards, our first response should be to determine what assistance it needs to become compliant.
 
We must uphold the health and safety of children while helping facilities improve.
 
We must not allow administrative complexity to become a barrier to opportunity.
 
Business can help us accelerate our drive towards universal access by 2030.
 
I want to make a particular appeal to the business community.
 
South African businesses have demonstrated their capacity to contribute to national development in areas such as energy, infrastructure, education and employment.
 
We now need that same commitment to early childhood development.
 
Businesses can help to build and upgrade early learning centres.
 
They can support the training and professional development of practitioners.
 
They can subsidise access for children from poor households.
 
They can provide learning materials, digital resources and connectivity.
 
And they can support innovative financing models that direct resources to programmes producing measurable results.
 
I would like to see early childhood development become a central part of corporate social investment and broader economic development strategies.
 
Not simply because it is the right thing to do.
 
But because it is one of the most effective investments we can make in the future prosperity of our country.
 
Technology is no substitute for learning to read, write and count.
 
But it is an enabler, with the power to transform how early learning is delivered in our country and at scale.
 
For example, one popular early reading app offers schools phonics exercises, teaching materials and an online library of more than 4,000 books.
 
Technology cannot replace teachers or books.
 
What it can do is multiply what one well-trained practitioner can deliver, reaching many more children at different levels with the same resource.
 
I wish to thank the donors who have supported the Early Childhood Care and Education Outcomes Fund, which we launched in December last year.
 
Government's contribution has been matched by donors.
 
With the support of UNICEF, curriculum support packs are now available in all of the country's official languages.
 
And more than 70 non-governmental organisations are helping early learning centres with documentation and first-aid training.
 
The Bana Pele Shared Blueprint belongs to all South Africans.
 
It is a shared vision, made possible by the men and women of this sector: practitioners, social workers, administrators, staff and government officials.
 
To every one of you serving our children, we say: we see you, we value you and South Africa is grateful.
 
I call on every South African to join the Bana Pele movement.
 
I call on every municipality, working with the Department of Cooperative Governance and the South African Local Government Association, to strengthen its support for early learning.
 
I call on municipalities to take a developmental approach to compliance.
 
I call on community, traditional and faith leaders to visit early learning centres, to meet the children and practitioners, and to ask how they can help.
 
I call on our partners in business, philanthropy and the donor community to scale up their investment in Bana Pele.
 
Together, we can multiply the impact of every rand that government invests in our children.
 
And to the parents, caregivers and families of our young children: we will reach our goal by working with you and alongside you.
 
Our Constitution guarantees everyone the right to a basic education.
 
By making early learning the foundation of every child's education, we are giving effect to that right.
 
There is no greater investment than in our children.
 
There is no greater opportunity than bringing government, communities, business and civil society together behind this purpose.
 
Let us give every child a strong start.
 
Let us make sure that no child falls behind before they even reach school.
 
Let us truly put our children first, Bana Pele.
 
I wish the Bana Pele Leadership Summit 2026 well as it takes forward this vital undertaking, to build the future of the South African nation.
 
I thank you.