Programme Director,
Members of the media,
Partners across the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention,
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the release of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention Quarterly Progress Report for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, covering the period April to June 2026. Today’s report provides an account of the progress being made in responding to one of the most pressing challenges facing our country: youth unemployment and the difficulty many young South Africans face in moving from education and training into meaningful economic participation.

We understand that completing school, obtaining a qualification or acquiring skills does not automatically translate into access to the labour market. Many young people still need opportunities to gain experience, earn an income, develop skills, establish enterprises, or take their first steps into the world of work. It is in response to this challenge that the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention was launched in 2020.

The PYEI is a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder intervention designed to accelerate the transition of young people from learning to earning. It brings together Government departments, public entities, the private sector, civil society, and other partners to address the barriers young people face in accessing economic opportunities. At the centre of this approach is the National Pathway Management Network, which connects young people to different opportunities and forms of support through a national network.

Understanding "Earning Opportunities”

Before I turn to the progress made during the quarter, I want to clarify an important point about the terminology used in this report. When we refer to “earning opportunities,” we are referring to a range of opportunities that enable young people to earn income, gain workplace experience, participate in work-integrated learning or provide paid services. These include work-based placements, work-integrated learning, and paid-service opportunities, among others.

Therefore, when we report that more than 2.6 million temporary earning opportunities have been accessed since the inception of the PYEI, we are not claiming that 2.6 million permanent jobs have been created. We are reporting opportunities through which young people have been supported to participate economically, gain experience and move along a pathway towards sustainable earning. This distinction is important. For a young person who has never had the opportunity to enter a workplace, gain practical experience or earn an income, such an opportunity can provide an important bridge into further economic participation.

At the same time, we recognise that temporary opportunities alone cannot resolve South Africa’s youth unemployment challenge. This is why the PYEI also focuses on systems change, demand-led skills development, enterprise development, sustainable earning pathways and connecting young people to opportunities through a national network.

Progress during the first quarter

Turning to the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, the PYEI recorded 139 693 earning opportunities secured by young people through the National Pathway Management Network. Of these, 106 093 opportunities were secured through SA Youth, while a further 33 600 earning and learning opportunities were secured through ESSA.

Let me briefly explain these platforms, because they are central to how young people access opportunities through the PYEI.

SA Youth is the platform through which young people can register, access information, and connect to services and opportunities within the National Pathway Management Network. During the quarter, SA Youth surpassed 6 million registered young people. Since the inception of the PYEI, more than 2.6 million earning opportunities have been secured through SA Youth. Importantly, close to 70% of opportunities have been accessed by young women, demonstrating the network’s contribution towards addressing gender disparities in access to economic opportunities.

The second platform is the Employment Services of South Africa system, or ESSA. ESSA forms part of the employment services infrastructure through which young people can register and access employment-related services and opportunities. By the end of the quarter, close to 5.7 million young people were registered on ESSA, with 386 733 opportunities secured through the system since inception. During the first quarter alone, ESSA recorded 33 600 earning and learning opportunities.

Workplace experience through YES

Another important area of progress is workplace experience.

The Youth Employment Service, or YES, is a private-sector-led initiative that provides young people with workplace experience opportunities across various sectors of the economy. During the first quarter, YES placed 5 244 young people into workplace experience opportunities. Since the inception of the PYEI, 233 393 workplace experience opportunities have been delivered, with 72% through YES and 28% through the Department of Higher Education and Training Sector Education and Training Authorities.

Workplace experience is important because qualifications alone do not always provide young people with the practical experience required to enter the labour market. The PYEI therefore places emphasis on creating pathways that allow young people to apply what they have learnt and develop practical workplace skills.

National Youth Service

We also made progress through the Revitalised National Youth Service. During the quarter, a further 2 866 young people were recruited into Phase 5 of the programme. This is the largest phase of the Revitalised National Youth Service to date and is recruiting 100 000 young people across South Africa. Since inception, the National Youth Service has provided 140 922 paid service opportunities across its five phases, with young women accounting for 68% of these opportunities.

Supporting young entrepreneurs

The PYEI also recognises that not every young person will enter the economy through a traditional employer-employee relationship. Enterprise development and self-employment are therefore important components of the intervention. During the first quarter, the National Youth Development Agency provided 5 214 enterprise support opportunities, consisting of 4 795 non-financial and 419 financial opportunities. Across the ecosystem, enterprise support opportunities have now reached 277 349 since inception.

Investing in innovation

We are also investing in new approaches to addressing the barriers young people face. The National Pathway Management Network Innovation Fund, led by the Department of Employment and Labour and administered by the Industrial Development Corporation, supports initiatives that test and scale innovative approaches to youth employment. During the quarter, R95 million was committed to the fourth Call for Proposals, with a focus on strengthening economic linkages in rural and marginalised communities, supporting sustainable earning, expanding participation by young people living with disabilities, and deepening the participation of civil society and youth-led organisations.

As of 30 June 2026, the Innovation Fund portfolio had facilitated access to more than 32 000 earning opportunities, with more than 52 000 unemployed young people registered across the Fund. One example highlighted in the report is Edunova, which is creating a digital pathway into self-employment for young people in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. By the end of the quarter, Edunova had enrolled its full cohort of 600 young people, with micro learning completions reaching 108% of the project target and retention standing at 83%.

Progress against our overarching targets

The progress reported today must also be considered against the broader targets of the PYEI. The intervention set a target of engaging at least 5 million young people in the National Pathway Management Network. We have now exceeded that target, with more than 6 million young people registered and accessing opportunities through the network. The second target was to support young people to access 1.5 million temporary earning opportunities. To date, young people have accessed more than 2.6 million.

The third target is to engage 500 000 young people in sustainable earning opportunities through workforce development programmes. This remains a work in progress, with evaluations and tracing studies underway. This is an important measure of accountability. The impact of the PYEI cannot be assessed only by the number of young people who access an opportunity. We must also understand what happens afterwards: whether young people move into further opportunities, secure sustainable income, progress into employment or enterprise, and whether the pathways we are creating are helping young people build livelihoods.

The road ahead

As we enter the remainder of the 2026/27 financial year, our focus is twofold.

First, we will continue to scale initiatives that are demonstrating progress and ensure that more young people can access opportunities through the PYEI.

Second, we will strengthen the quality and sustainability of the pathways we create. Young people need pathways that are accessible, relevant, and connected to real opportunities in the economy. They need opportunities to gain experience, earn, develop skills, establish enterprises and progress towards sustainable livelihoods.

The PYEI cannot address youth unemployment alone. The scale and complexity of the challenge requires continued cooperation between Government, business, civil society, educational institutions, and other partners.

Government has a responsibility to ensure that the systems are in place to help young people navigate these opportunities and to remove unnecessary barriers wherever possible.

The first quarter of 2026/27 demonstrates continued progress, while also reminding us that significant work remains ahead.

As we reflect on 50 years since the 1976 Soweto Uprising, we are reminded of the role young people have played in shaping our country’s history and of our responsibility to ensure that young people are able to shape its economic future.

Our ambition is a South Africa where young people can participate in the economy with greater dignity, opportunity, and agency.

That is the purpose of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention.

I thank you.

Fellow South Africans,

I address you tonight with the heaviest of hearts.

I speak as President of the Republic.

I also speak as a man, as a husband and as a father to daughters. But no man should look away from the violence to which women in our country are subjected.

The violence inflicted upon the women of South Africa is a source of profound pain and national shame.

The nation is angry. The women of South Africa are angry. Their anger is justified.

I share that anger. I share the grief at lives so cruelly and senselessly cut short.

On Sunday, the body of another woman was found in Springs. This brings to 11 the number of women’s bodies found in Ekurhuleni since July.

Among those whose names we know are Busisiwe Mahlangu. Itumeleng Kekana. Nomfesane Mjobo. Gracious Nkomo. Elizabeth Moselakgomo. Dineo Motapane. Jabulile Ntimba. Ntombifuthi Nxumalo.

Beyond Ekurhuleni, we mourn ten-year-old Octavia Swarts from Kraaifontein.

Nomakhwezi Zitha from Delft. Taymin Platt from Eersterust. Josephine Tshabalala from Orlando East. Siyavuya Mlunguza from Komani.

Mariette Mouton, a seventy-three-year-old Bredasdorp grandmother.

Christina Nyalungu, a security officer at the University of Limpopo. Sibongile Mdali from Richmond.

Fifteen-year-old Amogelang Motshwaedi from Dinokana village.

Pinky Shelembe and Ntombizana Mbanjwa from Richmond.

Amanda Kosani from Port Alfred who was killed on Women’s Day.

These are only some of the women and girls whose lives have been taken from us in recent weeks.

Theirs are the names we know. There are others whose names we do not yet know.

There are women lying tonight in Government mortuaries waiting to be identified, waiting for someone to claim them, waiting to be taken home and laid to rest.

How can our hearts not be broken? How can we not be angry?

The violence being perpetrated against women in this country is inhuman.

Behind each of these terrible deaths was a human being – a daughter, a mother, a sister, a friend – whose life had value, whose future mattered and whose absence has left a family and a community grieving.

Across our country, women are living with the terrible fear that they may be next.

No woman should have to live with that fear.

What weighs on me most is that seven years ago, in this same month, I stood before the nation to speak about this same crisis.

Yet here we are, once more having to confront the terrible reality of violence against women in our country.

The names of the victims are new. The crime is not.

This cannot be accepted as a normal part of life in South Africa.

We must confront an uncomfortable truth.

What we have done has not been enough. We need to do much more. It has not been enough to prevent women from being killed.

It has not been enough to make women safe in their homes, in our streets, on public transport, in workplaces and places of learning.

It has not been enough to change the attitudes and behaviour that enable violence against women.

As President of the Republic of South Africa, I acknowledge this.

As Government, we must do better.

As a society, we must do better.

Fellow South Africans,

Tonight, I want to update you on the killings in Ekurhuleni and on what is being done to bring those responsible to justice.

I also want to speak to you about the work we are doing as a government and as a country to end gender-based violence and femicide.

The killings of women in Ekurhuleni are receiving attention at the highest level of government and law enforcement.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide has approved a comprehensive emergency response.

A specialised multidisciplinary investigation has been elevated to the national level under the coordination of the Deputy National Commissioner for Detective Services.

The investigation brings together detectives, Crime Intelligence, forensic specialists, investigative psychologists, digital investigators and other specialised capabilities.

Arrests have already been made in connection with some of these murders.

On Sunday morning, police arrested a suspect in connection with the killing of Ntombifuthi Nxumalo, whose body was found on Saturday.

Two suspects have been arrested and have appeared in court in connection with the killing of Jabulile Ntimba.

A suspect is in custody in connection with the murder of Busisiwe Mahlangu.

In the other cases, police have identified persons of interest and collected forensic material, including DNA, blood samples, clothing, cellphones and cellphone records.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – the CSIR – is assisting with the digital forensic investigation.

There has understandably been widespread fear that the discovery of these women in close proximity could indicate the work of a single perpetrator.

At present, the police have not found evidence establishing that these killings were committed by a single perpetrator. All possibilities remain under investigation.

To the families of the women who have been brutally killed, I say that these cases will not be allowed to go cold.

The state is bringing together its available capabilities to establish what happened and to identify those responsible.

We will continue to provide the public with information as the investigations progress, without compromising the investigations or the rights of those involved.

I appeal to members of the public. If you know something, say something.

Only two of the women found dead in Ekurhuleni had been reported missing.

This is not a reproach to grieving families, who may themselves have faced uncertainty or difficulty in seeking assistance.

It is a reminder to all of us that there is no requirement to wait twenty-four hours before reporting a person missing.

If you have reason to fear that something is wrong, report it immediately.

Hours matter. Information matters. A photograph matters. A vehicle registration number matters.

A message, a telephone call or an observation that seems insignificant may provide the clue investigators need.

Alongside these investigations, we have significantly increased visible policing in Ekurhuleni.

These operations will continue for as long as they are required.

But we must be clear.

We cannot police our way out of gender-based violence alone.

We cannot arrest our way out of this crisis alone.

And we cannot wait until a woman is murdered before the state intervenes.

Our task must be to prevent the violence before it happens.

As all of Government, we are determined that attention and resources be directed at all parts of the country where women are under siege from gender-based violence.

Since gender-based violence and femicide was classified as a national disaster last year, government has reprioritised resources and strengthened coordination across the criminal justice system and survivor-support services.

The National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide is now operational and has a responsibility to coordinate and drive our national response.

Resources have been allocated to strengthen the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units.

More resources will be allocated by the Minister of Finance in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement.

Sexual Offences Courts are being expanded.

Thuthuzela Care Centres continue to provide medical, forensic, counselling and legal services to survivors.

Shelter services are being expanded.

The processing of DNA and forensic evidence is being strengthened.

The law has been tightened to make it more difficult for perpetrators of gender-based violence and domestic abuse to obtain bail.

Across the country, police stations have established Victim Friendly Services and GBV desks.

Police officers continue to receive proactive training on issues related to gender-based violence.

These measures matter.

But institutions and programmes mean little if they do not work when a woman needs them.

A woman who summons the courage to report abuse must not be turned away from a police station.

A woman seeking a protection order must not be sent from office to office.

A protection order must not become merely a piece of paper while an abuser continues to threaten his victim.

A forensic sample must not sit unprocessed while a perpetrator remains free.

A case must not collapse because a docket has been lost, an investigation has been poorly conducted or a survivor has been treated without dignity.

Where the state fails women, we must hold ourselves accountable and correct those failures.

To add to our continuing work to deal with gender-based violence and femicide, I am therefore announcing four immediate measures.

First, I have directed the Minister of Police and the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, working with the South African Police Service and, with due regard to prosecutorial independence, the National Prosecuting Authority, to undertake a national case-recovery operation focused on unresolved murders, attempted murders, rapes and serious sexual offences involving women and children.

Within 60 days, this audit must identify the number and age of unresolved cases, cases awaiting forensic evidence, cases in which suspects have been identified but not arrested, and cases in which investigative or prosecutorial action has been unreasonably delayed.

Within 90 days, individual recovery plans must be in place for priority cases and cases that have stalled. Each plan must identify the outstanding action, the responsible official and the deadline for moving the case forward.

Second, I have directed the Minister of Police, the National Commissioner of Police and the relevant forensic authorities to present, within 60 days, a funded plan to reduce forensic backlogs and establish clear turnaround standards for priority gender-based violence and femicide cases.

The plan must set out the size and age of the backlog, shortages of personnel and equipment, the resources required and the dates by which the backlog will be reduced.

Priority forensic samples in cases involving the rape or murder of women and children must be ring-fenced for urgent processing.

Progress against the turnaround standards must be reported publicly every quarter.

Third, every municipality must begin a women’s safety audit without delay. High-risk areas must be identified working with provincial governments and the police.

Within sixty days, these audits must identify broken streetlights, overgrown public spaces, abandoned buildings, unsafe transport routes and facilities, poorly secured parks and other conditions that place women at risk.

Within 90 days of completing the audit, the most urgent hazards must have been addressed or included in a funded implementation plan with clear completion dates.

The results of the audits and progress in correcting the identified hazards will be published so that communities can see what has been identified, what has been fixed and what remains to be done.

Provincial and municipal authorities must intensify enforcement of existing liquor laws and by-laws, particularly against unlicensed outlets and establishments that trade outside permitted hours.

Fourth, I have directed the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, working with the Ministers of Health, Social Development, Police and Cooperative Governance, to submit to Cabinet within 60 days a coordinated legislative and enforcement package to reduce alcohol-related violence.

Alcohol does not cause gender-based violence and it can never excuse it. Responsibility always lies with the perpetrator.

But harmful alcohol use is a significant aggravating factor in interpersonal violence, and it must be addressed as part of our wider prevention effort.

Women should not have to live in fear because government has failed to repair a light, clear a public space, process evidence or enforce a law.

Every sphere of Government must understand that the safety of women is part of its responsibility.

Our constitutional obligation to jointly secure the well-being of all South Africans, to assist and support one another and to coordinate our actions compels us to fulfil this responsibility.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee and the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide will monitor these measures and issue consolidated public progress reports every quarter.

A first consolidated report must be issued within ninety days, with public progress reports every quarter thereafter.

These directives are not just a statement of good intentions.

They establish responsibilities, deadlines and a duty to submit reports on a regular basis to the nation.

These directives support the accelerated implementation of key pillars of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, which continues to guide the work underway across all spheres of Government and all parts of society.

Fellow South Africans,

We must prevent the violence before it starts because programmes, stronger laws, additional resources and more police officers will not, on their own, end violence against women.

Gender-based violence does not begin when a fist is raised.

It does not begin when a woman is raped or when a woman is killed.

It begins much earlier.

It begins in attitudes that regard women as inferior.

It begins with the belief that a man has the right to control a woman.

It begins when jealousy is mistaken for love, when control is mistaken for protection and coercion is mistaken for affection.

When harassment is dismissed as harmless and abuse is regarded as a private family matter.

It begins when a man believes that because he provides financially for a woman, he owns her.

It begins when a man believes that because he is powerful, wealthy or influential, he is entitled to a woman’s attention or affection.

It begins when a man refuses to accept the word no.

Fellow South Africans,

We must confront the uncomfortable, devastating truth that the primary GBV hotspot is in the home and in interpersonal relationships.

A national study by the South African Medical Research Council found that more than 60 percent of the women murdered in 2021 and 2022 were killed by an intimate partner.

Too often, the greatest threat to a woman is not an unknown perpetrator.

It is someone the woman knows, trusts or loves.

This is why prevention must begin in our homes.

It must begin with how we raise our sons; with what boys learn about girls, anger, rejection and consent, and with what they learn from watching the men around them.

We must decide what we want our sons to learn.

Our schools, universities, places of worship, sporting organisations and workplaces all have a role to play.

But there is one group that has a particular responsibility. The men and boys of South Africa.

For too long, gender-based violence has been treated as a women’s problem to solve.

Women march, organise, protest and comfort survivors.

Women change their routes home, avoid going out at night and warn one another about dangerous places and dangerous men.

We have placed the burden of male violence on women.
That must change.

The solution to violence against women cannot be to make women less free.

We cannot build a safer country by turning women into prisoners of precaution.

Women should not have to reorganise their lives around the threat of male violence.

The freedom promised by our Constitution cannot be a freedom enjoyed fully by men and cautiously by women.

That is why I am speaking directly tonight to the men and boys of South Africa.

Challenge the friend who humiliates his partner.

Challenge the colleague who harasses women.

Challenge the relative who abuses his wife or girlfriend.

It is time for good men to stop being silent men.

We salute the many South African men who are already speaking out, including prominent figures such as Siya Kolisi and Temba Bavuma, who have used their public platforms to urge men to confront violence against women and to become better men.

That conversation must take place everywhere: in homes, sports clubs and workplaces; in churches, mosques, synagogues and temples; in taxis and shebeens; on university campuses and around family tables.

We must mobilise all of society through various community-based structures – including discussions in the National Dialogue that is currently underway – about our collective responsibility to bring gender-based violence and femicide to an end.

Responsibility for violence always belongs to the person who commits it.

Never to the victim.

No woman causes herself to be abused.

No item of clothing causes rape.

No argument justifies assault.

No relationship gives one person ownership over another.

No rejection justifies violence.

And no man has the right to take the life of a woman because she chooses to leave him.

We owe every woman and girl in South Africa a country in which she does not have to calculate where she may walk, what time she may travel, what she may wear, whom she may trust or whether saying no will put her life in danger.

The women of South Africa should not have to fight gender-based violence alone.

The men of South Africa must stand up and fight it with them.

This is a fight that we must take up as a nation, together.

I have directed the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture to strengthen the work of the Moral Regeneration Movement and to ensure that it contributes meaningfully to changing the attitudes, social norms and practices that enable violence against women.

We acknowledge the work of faith-based organisations, community organisations, women’s and youth formations, educational institutions, traditional leaders and many other structures that confront gender-based violence every day.

In just under two months from now, South Africa will join the peoples of the world as we embark on 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

Let us use those 16 days to mobilise a formidable social movement that imbues our activism with purpose and determination.

Seven years ago, I spoke to the nation about this crisis.

Seven years from now, no President should have to stand before this nation and say these same words again.

Let that be the commitment we make tonight.

Not simply to mourn.

Not simply to condemn.

But to act.

And to keep acting until every woman and every girl in South Africa can live in freedom, in dignity and in safety.

Let us honour the women whose lives have been taken not only through our words, but through what we do from this day forward.

I thank you.

Your Excellencies,
Ministers,
Officials,
Guests,

Thank you for your participation in this constructive engagement.

The attendance at this Summit demonstrates that the leaders of this continent remain deeply concerned about the future of our sister country.

We wish to thank President Salva Kiir Mayardit for his engagement with the Summit.

The briefing from the President and from the African Union on the state of readiness for the elections was most valuable.

We also thank His Excellency former President Kikwete and His Excellency Geoffrey Onyeama for their insightful briefings.

Their assessments have assisted in identifying the immediate priorities requiring both political attention and coordinated support.

We take note of the progress that the Government of South Sudan has made.

Yet we are mindful of the many challenges and tremendous work that still lie ahead.

In the interests of national elections that are free, fair and credible, we urge the Government of South Sudan to work with speed to resolve the challenges that remain.

As indicated in the Declaration, this Summit has made a number of recommendations, including the following:

•    That all parties comply fully with the provisions of the Revitalised Peace Agreement and demonstrate their commitment to its full implementation.

•    That all parties immediately cease hostilities, uphold the Permanent Ceasefire and refrain from unilateral measures that could undermine the Revitalised Peace Agreement.

•    That, while respecting the sovereignty of South Sudan and its judicial processes, the Government of South Sudan release all persons arbitrarily detained on political grounds and guarantee the rights, humane treatment and due process of persons facing judicial proceedings, thereby contributing to an inclusive political environment.

•    That the Government of South Sudan adopts a feasible, consensual and time-bound electoral roadmap that clearly sets out the legal basis, scope and sequencing of elections.

•    That the Government of South Sudan provides predictable, adequate and timely domestic financial resources to the electoral and transitional institutions to enable credible preparations.

•    That the Government of South Sudan works in earnest towards addressing the political, legal, technical, operational, financial and security requirements necessary for a peaceful, credible, inclusive and transparent electoral process.

•    That all parties protect civilians, humanitarian and medical personnel and United Nations peacekeepers; ensure safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to affected communities; and ensure accountability for attacks against peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel.

•    That the AU, C5 and IGAD should coordinate voluntary and needs-based technical assistance in support of the electoral process and the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement.

We appeal to international partners to support South Sudan in the most effective and coordinated manner.

Primary responsibility for the implementation of the agreed measures rests with the government and parties of South Sudan.

The support of the C5, the African Union and international partners must reinforce South Sudanese national ownership and respond to clearly identified priorities.

We have agreed that the Revitalised Peace Agreement remains the paramount legal instrument with which all parties must comply and by which progress in South Sudan will be measured.

Peace, stability and prosperity for South Sudan are aspirations we all share.

For democracy to take hold in South Sudan, its leaders must demonstrate genuine commitment to inclusivity, peace and national reconciliation.

Only then can South Sudan begin in earnest to build its institutions, strengthen democratic practice and build a unified nation.

I thank you once again for honouring the invitation and for your commitment to our sister country.

I am confident that, acting together, we can accompany South Sudan through this critical period and help secure a future of lasting peace and democracy for its people.

I thank you.

Your Excellency, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission;
General Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan;
Former President Jakaya Kikwete, AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea;
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government;
Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security;
Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD;
Dr Abdiweli Ali, AU Special Representative and Head of Mission to South Sudan;
Ministers;
Ambassadors;
Officials;
Ladies and gentlemen;

Welcome to this C5 Plus Summit on South Sudan.

Allow me to express my sincere apologies for the last-minute cancellation of the meeting originally scheduled for 16 September 2026.

As you may be aware, I was unwell and I was advised by my doctors to rest and recuperate.

Thank you for your kind understanding and for being available for the meeting today.

A warm welcome to His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

We wish to commend you and the broader leadership of the Republic of South Sudan for your commitment to bringing peace and stability to your country and its people.

As AU Member States, we have a collective responsibility to support South Sudan to overcome its challenges and achieve its national vision of unity, peace and prosperity.

The Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan remains the only internationally recognised framework for the implementation of South Sudan’s transition.

We are pleased that since the inaugural C5 Plus Summit earlier this year, support for the implementation of the Agreement has grown across the region and the continent.

We welcome the appointment of former President Jakaya Kikwete as the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.

Your Excellency President Kikwete, we wish you well as you deploy your extensive expertise and considerable energies to assisting the government and the people of South Sudan.

We have noted the significant developments in South Sudan over the past week, notably the dissolution of the Transitional Government on 22 September 2026, the amendments to the National Elections Act of 2012, and the commencement of the Inter-Party Political Dialogue on 24 September 2026.

These developments take place against the backdrop of preparations for the first general elections since attaining independence.

We look forward to receiving further information from President Kiir on the impact of these important developments.

We acknowledge the efforts of the African Union’s technical pre-election and needs assessment mission that was in Juba from the 23rd to the 28th of August this year, ably led by His Excellency Geoffrey Onyeama, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

As AU Member States, our best wishes are with the people of South Sudan as they head to elections later this year.

We know that elections on their own are not a sufficient guarantor of peace and democracy.

Holding credible elections must be preceded and accompanied by a genuine, inclusive political process, bolstered by security arrangements and protection of electoral staff and civilians.

There must be a clear legal framework, adequate financing, and capable institutional and operational capacity.

This means that everything possible must be done urgently to address outstanding shortcomings that continue to stand in the way of achieving lasting and durable peace.

Inclusive dialogue is a vital guarantor of the future of South Sudan and its peoples.

We call on the leaders of South Sudan to seize this moment to come together despite their differences to discuss the problems and challenges that stand in the way of their advancement as a nation.

As the parties to this Summit, we stand ready with our support, counsel and solidarity as the leaders and people of South Sudan continue along their journey.

The people of South Sudan must know that they do not stand alone.

Their peace is our peace, their stability is our stability and their success is our success.

Thank you once again for your attendance, and I look forward to our deliberations.

I thank you.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will this evening, Tuesday, 29 September 2026, address the nation on the steps being taken by Government to confront gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), and provide an update on investigations into the murder of women in and around the City of Ekurhuleni.

The President will address the nation as follows:

Date: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Time: 19h00

The SABC will provide a broadcast feed to all media, while PresidencyZA will live-stream the proceedings on its various digital platforms.

 

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday, 1 October 2026, address the 26th National Teaching Awards (NTAs) at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Benoni, Gauteng Province.

The National Teaching Awards will be held under the theme: “Uniting for Excellence: Elevating Achievement, Empowering Educators to Shape South Africa’s Future.”

The NTAs are hosted annually by the Department of Basic Education to recognise and celebrate educators whose dedication, innovation and leadership continue to strengthen teaching and learning across South Africa’s diverse schooling system.

The awards aim to focus public attention on the positive aspects of basic education, enhance the public image of the teaching profession, and recognise, appreciate and promote excellence in teaching performance.

Finalists from across the country will be recognised in a range of categories, including Excellence in Grade R Teaching; Excellence in Primary School Teaching; Excellence in Primary School Leadership; Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (FET); Excellence in Secondary School Teaching; Excellence in Secondary School Leadership; the Kader Asmal Lifetime Achievement Award; and the National Best Teacher Award.

The Ceremony will take place as follows:

Date: Thursday, 01 October 2026 
Time: 10h00
Venue: Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre, Gauteng Province

NOTE TO MEDIA: Members of the media  interested to cover the event must fill the Accreditation Form on link https://tinyurl.com/National-Teaching-Awards by 30 September 2026 at 16h00. Accreditation enquiries should be directed to Boitumelo Mashigo on Mashigo.b@dbe.gov.za

 

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President, on media@presidency.gov.za or Terence Khala (Department of Basic Education) on khala.t@dbe.gov.za / 081 758 1546

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Tuesday, 29 September 2026, in his capacity as Chairperson of the African Union High-Level Ad Hoc Committee on South Sudan (C5), convene a virtual meeting of the C5 and Member States of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The meeting will follow up on the outcomes of the C5 Plus Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 15 February 2026, take stock of developments since the Summit, and assess the situation in South Sudan ahead of the elections scheduled for 22 December 2026.

The C5 comprises South Africa, Algeria, Chad, Nigeria and Rwanda. The meeting will also consider recent engagements, including the C5 Ministerial Visit to Juba in July 2026, the April visit by the AU Peace and Security Council, and the August visits by the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, Dr Jakaya Kikwete, and the AU Technical Assessment Team.

The meeting will assess progress towards the implementation of commitments arising from these engagements and identify areas requiring further regional and continental support in advancing peace, stability and the political transition in South Sudan.

President Ramaphosa will continue to lead efforts through the C5, in coordination with the AU, IGAD and other regional and international partners, to support an inclusive, peaceful and credible political process in South Sudan.

MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS

Opening Session

Date: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Time: 14h30
Venue: Virtual

NB: Members of the media will be permitted to join and cover the open session of the virtual meeting. Following the conclusion of the open session, media will be requested to exit the virtual meeting as the proceedings continue in closed session.

Closing session

Date: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Time: 16h00
Venue: Virtual

NB: Members of the media will be permitted to re-join the virtual meeting for the reading of the Communiqué at the conclusion of the proceedings.

 

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 release the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) Quarterly Progress report for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, covering the period April to June 2026.

The release will provide an update on the progress made in expanding pathways for young people to transition from learning to earning, as well as key achievements recorded across the various components of the PYEI during the first quarter of the financial year.

Details of the Event are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Time: 10h00
Venue: GCIS Media Centre, 1035 Francis Baard, Hatfield, Pretoria

 

Media enquiries: Mandisa Mbele, Office of the Deputy Minister in The Presidency, on 082 580 2213 or mandisam@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria