President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Friday, 13 December 2024, host President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Federal Republic of Germany, at Mahlamba Ndlopfu, the President’s official residence in Pretoria.

The visit will serve to highlight the 30th anniversary of democracy in South Africa and the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  The leaders will have an opportunity to engage on a variety of issues of mutual interest, thereby enhancing the strategic relationship and fostering closer cooperation between the two countries.

South Africa has a very substantial and diverse relationship with Germany. Germany is one of South Africa’s most important strategic partners and is the third largest market for South African exports, the third largest source of overseas tourists, as well as a major investor and development partner.

In November 2018, President Steinmeier paid a State Visit to South Africa. 

He will arrive in South Africa on 12 December 2024 from the Federal Republic of Nigeria where he would have paid a three-day State Visit.

During his visit, President Steinmeier will be accompanied by a business delegation of ten German CEOs and will participate in a business roundtable during the afternoon of 13 December 2024. He will also lay a wreath at Freedom Park.  He will also visit Lesotho on 14 December 2024 before returning to South Africa for an onward flight to Germany.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

Your Excellency Joao Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola,
Honourable Ministers,
Ambassadors,
Members of the Media,

Good morning.

Your Excellency President Lourenço, 

It has been a pleasure to receive you on your first State Visit to South Africa.

We have congratulated President Lourenço on his re-election.

This has been a year of major elections across the continent, including in Angola and South Africa.

We have a shared sense of optimism regarding the state of multiparty democracy in Africa, which has proven to be robust and in good health.

We have commended SADC for supporting these democratic processes through election observer missions, as well as for providing valuable recommendations on electoral processes going forward.

South Africa and Angola have fraternal ties dating back to our respective liberation struggles. 

The people of Angola and the MPLA that President Lourenço leads, were and remain great friends of the South African people. 

As we mark 30 years of democracy in South Africa this year, I thanked President Lourenço for Angola’s solidarity and friendship on behalf of all the peoples of South Africa. 

This intertwined, shared history has formed the basis for cooperation through the Bi-National Commission between Angola and South Africa. 

The first BNC meeting will take place in Angola in 2025 and will be co-chaired by President Lourenço and myself. 

Angola and South Africa are amongst the largest regional economies, and we have agreed that we need to deepen bilateral trade and investment.

There are already approximately 20 South African businesses with a footprint in Angola. 

South African FDI into Angola has been into a range of sectors including financial services, IT, manufacturing, hospitality, tourism and business services, amongst others.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Industrial Development Corporation and other South African development finance institutions have also extended their financial coverage to Angola. 

Amongst the infrastructure projects being financed are pipeline construction, renewable energy, water and sanitation and port development.

The Lobito Trans Africa Corridor project has also attracted interest from some of our companies. 

President Lourenço ‘s vision for the Corridor as an economic development zone has been positively received - and we are keen to explore opportunities for collaboration in this regard.

As South Africa we are keen to see more Angolan investors enter the South African economy. 

The Business Forum that will be taking place later today is a chance to connect Angolan and South African businesses and we look forward to participating.

For our part as governments, we will be expanding on the structural economic reforms underway in both countries to improve the investment climate and business operating environment.

With respect to bilateral cooperation, we have agreed on an audit of existing agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.

Since formal diplomatic relations were established between Angola and South Africa, we have signed more than 44 agreements. They are at varying stages of implementation. 

This stock-take is necessary, in the interests of strengthening the strategic partnership going forward.

With respect to collaboration on peace and security in the region and across Africa, we have commended President Lourenço for his efforts in mediating between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, as President of the International Conference on the Great Lakes, and as Facilitator of the Luanda Process. 

As South Africa and Angola, we are deeply troubled by the deteriorating situation in Sudan and the ensuing humanitarian crisis. 

President Lourenço serves on the AU Presidential Ad-Hoc Committee for the Republic of Sudan. South Africa pledges its full support for all efforts to bring about an end to the conflict in Sudan.

We are equally concerned at the post-electoral crisis in Mozambique, and have agreed to 
work together to enable our region to better respond to peace and security challenges in Africa.

Silencing the Guns is a necessary precondition for Africa’s stability, economic growth and development. 

I also briefed President Lourenço on South Africa’s Presidency of the G20. 

This will be the first gathering of this group of countries on the African continent. I indicated that promoting Africa’s developmental priorities as espoused in the African Union’s Agenda 2063 will be one of the defining elements of our Presidency. 

South Africa will ensure that key issues of strategic importance to Africa and the Global South are elevated during our term.  

In conclusion, South Africa looks forward to deepening its ties with Angola in the cause of mutually beneficial growth, continental economic integration and sustainable development.

I thank you and now invite President Lourenço to deliver his remarks.

Your Excellency Joao Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola,
Honourable Ministers,
Ambassadors,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Your Excellency, it is my pleasure to welcome you and your delegation to South Africa. 

We thank you for honouring our invitation and making your first State visit to our country.

Allow me to begin by congratulating you on your re-election following the August elections in Angola. 

It is gratifying to us all to see multiparty democracy flourishing across our continent. 

There was polling in at least 17 countries in Africa this year, including in Angola and South Africa.

We all ascribe to the vision of an Africa of good governance, human rights, sustainable development and economic integration encapsulated in the African Union’s Agenda 2063. 

This State Visit is an opportunity to give impetus to that vision by strengthening trade, investment, political and people-to-people relations between our two countries. 

South Africa and Angola share a fraternal bond that dates back to the support the MPLA gave to our liberation struggle. 

When Angola achieved independence in 1975, we were still suffering under the tyranny of apartheid rule. 

Your Excellency,

The decision to elevate our structured bilateral mechanism from a Joint Commission of Cooperation to a Bi-National Commission (BNC) reflects our common commitment to deepen our relations.

I am delighted that you will be hosting the inaugural session of the BNC in Angola next year. 

Co-chairing this first session with you will be an honour, especially given that it will be during the 50th anniversary celebrations of Angolan independence.

Increasing trade and investment between South Africa and Angola remains our foremost objective. 

South Africa must become the destination of choice for Angolan goods, products and services, and vice versa.

Approximately twenty South African companies already have a presence in Angola, and over the years have been on a concerted drive to explore investment opportunities beyond the oil sector.

South African FDI into Angola has been in a range of sectors such as financial services, IT, food and beverage, transportation, warehousing and tourism.

South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation also has investment projects in Angola, namely in the Cabinda Oil Refinery and the Cabinda phosphate project.

We want to see more Angolan companies in South Africa. Opportunities exist in infrastructure development, agriculture, construction, mining, financial services, telecoms and manufacturing, to name but a few.

With the international community having committed to low-carbon, climate resilient development, there is also vast potential for cooperation in cleaner and renewable energy generation, green hydrogen, electric and NEV manufacturing and others.

South Africa has prioritised implementing structural economic reforms to improve the business operating environment and investment climate, and through these we hope to attract more Angolan investors.

Both Angola and South Africa have substantial mineral deposits. 

We need to cooperate on strategies and policies that ensure there is greater beneficiation of our minerals. This will become especially important as the global demand grows for the critical minerals needed in the energy transition.

In this regard, South Africa is immensely encouraged by the development of Angola’s Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor. We stand ready to work with Angola and contribute within the project possibilities that exist.

We see the African Continental Trade Agreement as a catalyst for inclusive economic growth, and we must take advantage of the system of preferential terms provided to signatories.

As both Angola and South Africa strive to accelerate the pace of industrialisation, we need to build mutually complementary capabilities in manufacturing and value-addition of products. 

The Business Forum that will take place during this State visit is an important opportunity for companies from both countries to explore synergies. 

It is our expectation that a list of bankable projects will be identified - that can be financed either though private sector capital or public-private partnerships. 

I look forward to participation in the Forum later today.

Your Excellency,

As Angola and South Africa, we have a shared commitment to advancing the ideals of Pan-Africanism and to promoting the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflicts through mediation, negotiation and dialogue. 

We wish to thank you for the efforts that Angola has lent to peace-building in the Southern African Development Community and the continent at large. 

South Africa commends Angola for the constructive role it is playing as President of the International Conference on the Great Lakes, as Facilitator of the Luanda Process, and on the Presidential Ad-Hoc Committee for the Republic of Sudan.   

We must continue to deepen our collaboration towards resolving the conflict in the Eastern DRC, the civil war in Sudan and the post-electoral crisis in Mozambique.

Silencing the Guns across Africa is a necessary precondition for stability, economic growth and development. 

As African countries, we must be at the forefront of promoting the peaceful resolution of conflict, particularly at a time when the future of multilateralism is at stake.

Israel’s war on the people of Gaza and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine have exposed the limitations and fragilities of international institutions that remain un-representative and unreformed.

South Africa stands firm in its call for the institutions of global governance to be reformed, particularly the UN Security Council. 

The Global South must have permanent representation and a voice on the UNSC, so that it reflects global demographics and realities.

We stand firm in our call for multilateralism to remain at the center of global affairs, whether it is dealing with conflict or responding to climate change. 

We reiterate our call for the United Nations Charter to be respected and for the tenets of international law to be upheld. 

South Africa has just assumed the Presidency of the G20 and will host the first G20 Summit on African soil in 2025. 

Promoting Africa’s developmental priorities as espoused in Agenda 2063 will be one of the defining elements of our Presidency. 

Working with the African Union and fellow African countries will ensure that the issues of strategic importance to Africa and the Global South are highlighted.  

Your Excellency,

With these words I welcome you once again and look forward to our discussions. Your presence here testifies to the strong ties of solidarity and friendship between our two countries.

I thank you.

Programme Director,
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Dean Macpherson,
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms. Angie Motshekga,
Premier of Mpumalanga, Mr. Mandla Ndlovu,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
MEC’s,
Executive Mayor of the Nkangala District Municipality, Cllr. Thomas Ngwenya,
Traditional and community leaders,
Guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good Morning. Sanibonani. Avuxeni. Goeie môre. 

I greet the residents of KwaMhlanga and the Nkangala District Municipality.

It is a pleasure to be here in Mpumalanga again.

We are here as Government to report that we have delivered on our promise to address the problem of old and dilapidated bridges in Mpumalanga.

Communities have been struggling with this for some time. Poor transport infrastructure has been making it difficult to get to and from places of work, school, the hospital and clinic, and to towns and cities from rural areas.

In some cases, what would normally be a quick journey from one place to another takes double the time because there is no bridge.

This has been particularly difficult in areas near or separated by water sources like rivers or streams.

When the rains come or there are heavy floods, crossing becomes difficult and dangerous. 

As Government we have heard your call as the people of Mpumalanga for this issue to be addressed.

Earlier today we officially launched bridges at Vezubuhle, Leratong and Zakheni as part of the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme.

This is a ground-breaking method to construct bridges that are sturdy, that last, and that are safe for communities. 

This programme has been in existence since 2020 and is a designated Strategic Integrated Project under our national infrastructure build.

We have been working with speed to deploy the bridges where they are needed most, in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North-West, the Eastern Cape and the Free State.

We were all extremely impressed by the quality of the structures we visited earlier, as you have seen in the video that has just been played.

This type of bridge is known as a Bailey bridge. It is a portable, prefabricated truss bridge constructed with timber and steel alloys, suspended on reinforced concrete. 

The biggest advantage of a Bailey bridge is that it can be transported and assembled in a matter of days, compared to constructing a regular bridge.

During the devastating floods in parts of the country two years ago, we were able to deploy 14 of these bridges to support affected communities in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. 

These bridges are made to last. With regular maintenance, the average lifespan of a Bailey Bridge is twenty years.

Bailey bridges have been used by the military since the Second World War. Here in South Africa, they are being constructed by the South African Army Engineer Formation. 

I want to once more congratulate the South African National Defence Force for its contribution to uplifting communities.

Whether as part of the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme, in assisting with water source rehabilitation, or deployed to guard critical energy infrastructure, the SANDF is driving development and progress across our land.

Welisizwe bridges are addressing the legacy of apartheid-era spatial planning, when investment in quality infrastructure was confined to certain areas. 

Our rural communities were most disadvantaged by this neglect, and this is something we as government are determined to resolve.

These bridges will improve mobility for all the people of the province. Our learners will be able to make it safely to and from school. It will be easier for our elders to reach hospitals and clinics, and to get to pension pay points. 

These bridges will make commuting safer, faster and easier for women and children, because they don’t have to make their way through areas that are unsafe, especially at night.

Pedestrian safety will be improved.

Beyond improving mobility and connectivity in rural areas, the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme is creating decent work and business opportunities for our citizens.

Earlier we heard from local entrepreneurs on how the construction of a Welisizwe Bridge brought them business.

A key component of this programme is that components and construction materials must be sourced locally. 

We also heard from the beneficiaries of the Expanded Public Works Programme or EPWP. 

Each bridge site deploys Army engineers, artisans and EPWP workers who provide services like welding, groundwork, earth moving and soil retention.

The EPWP also supports skills development. Graduates are appointed to work in bridge assessment, project management, maintenance, as assistant engineers and as candidate construction project managers.

I am told that the construction of the bridges we launched today created work opportunities for 105 EPWP beneficiaries.

This is 105 unemployed South Africans given a chance to earn a living. With this income they were able to support themselves and their families. 

With the skills they learned, they are now able to secure further employment in construction or other sectors. 

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has set itself an ambitious target of constructing 288 bridges by the end of the 2025/2026 financial year. 

Seventeen of these bridges are planned for Mpumalanga.

An amount of R3,8 billion has been allocated for this purpose over the 2023/2024 and 2025/2026 financial years. 

In line with the localisation requirement, construction materials and bridge components will be sourced from local suppliers. 

We anticipate that approximately 17 000 job opportunities and 510 training opportunities will be created during this phase, including for EPWP participants and artisans.

This is the model to which we aspire. The construction of social infrastructure that meets community need, helps us achieve our national infrastructure build goals, and supports job creation. 

This year marks thirty years since we attained our democracy. 

We inherited a country where one’s quality of life was determined by the colour of one’s skin.  

What this meant was that white South Africans and predominantly white areas got decent and quality roads and bridges, hospitals, clinics and schools. 

Over the past thirty years we have made considerable progress in leveraging public infrastructure to narrow the gulf of inequality. This programme is part of that effort.

As the Seventh Administration we are committed to speeding up the pace of service delivery to ensure more South Africans have access to the amenities they need to lead lives of dignity.  

I want to make a call to our communities. 

Look after these assets. They are your assets. 

They are for the benefit of your community and for the benefit of future generations. 

Work with local and provincial authorities to ensure they are protected from vandalism. Use them safely and for the purpose they are intended. 

Desist from any acts that damage them or make them unsafe for use by others.

As local and provincial authorities, let us ensure that members of the community and local businesses benefit from the opportunities created by the construction of the bridges. 

As National Government let us continue to think innovatively and creatively when it comes to our respective service delivery models. 

This programme is best practice in how we can address backlogs and provide services within tighter timeframes and at a lesser cost.

Allow me to thank all who have been part of making today a success, and thank you for all the hard work and planning that has gone into this launch. 

The Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme is a sign of our commitment as government to bring development to all, and most importantly to ensure that no-one is left behind.

I thank you.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will this afternoon, 11 December 2024, receive the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG), His Excellency António Guterres at Mahlamba Ndlopfu, the President’s official residence in Pretoria.

The UN Secretary-General’s courtesy call on President Ramaphosa and a meeting today with the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, takes place in the context of the UN leader’s mission to Southern Africa, which is centred on his attendance of the bicentennial celebrations in Lesotho on Thursday, 12 December 2024.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded a constructive meeting with the Mpumalanga provincial executive.

This was a 3rd session between the National Executive and a provincial executive council following meetings with the provincial leadership of Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.
 
Over the next year the National Executive is planning to meet with the leadership of all other provinces. The meeting acknowledged the great potential that exists in Mpumalanga that can be harnessed to resolve the many challenges facing the province. Therefore, inclusive economic growth and job creation must therefore be at the forefront of the efforts of government and all social partners.

The President welcomed the detailed approach applied by the provincial leadership on areas that are focused on economic growth and job creation. 

The meeting welcomed the province’s articulated vision on future catalytic projects that will inject more growth opportunities in Mpumalanga. 

President Ramaphosa encouraged the province to explore project funding mechanisms that are not wholly dependent on the national fiscus. 

Relevant state agencies will work closely with the province in the packaging of catalytic projects for private sector partnership and funding. 

The meeting agreed on further enhancing inter-governmental cooperation in addressing pressing issues in the provision of basic services such as water and sanitation and electricity. 

President Ramaphosa applauded the Mpumalanga province for its investments into social infrastructure such as boarding schools and hospitals. 
 
For media enquiries: 
Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President 
media@presidency.gov.za 
Zothile Ngoma, Spokesperson to the Premier of Mpumalanga
063 722 1676

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Velenkosini Hlabisa,
Premier of Mpumalanga, Mr Mandla Ndlovu,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
MECs,
Officials,
Ladies and gentlemen, 

I would like to thank the leadership of the Provincial Government for making themselves available for this meeting with members of the National Executive. 

This is our third engagement, as the National Executive, with a Provincial Executive Council. We have previously met with the provincial leadership of Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.

Over the next few months we plan to meet with the leadership of all other provinces.

Cooperative governance is mandated by our Constitution. 

There is an obligation on all spheres of Government to cooperate, collaborate and consult on matters of common interest.

At the same time, it is important to respect the scope of the respective powers and functions of each sphere.

Our experience over the last 30 years of democracy is that economic and social development requires greater integration of the work of national, provincial and local government.

It is for this reason that we launched the District Development Model in 2019.

We no longer wanted programmes and projects to be conceptualised far from the realities and conditions on the ground.

We no longer wanted to work in silos.

We agreed that we needed to get closer together as the different components and spheres of Government. 

We needed to plan together, to budget together and to implement together.

In support of the District Development Model, there needs to be open channels of communication between provincial authorities and their counterparts at national government. 

It is our expectation that this meeting will set in motion a more structured and regular form of cooperation between the national and provincial executives. 

We come to Mpumalanga excited by the great potential that exists in this Province.

We know that the Province faces many challenges.

The unemployment rate in Mpumalanga is higher the national average. And we know that nearly a half of all young people are unemployed.

More than half the population live below the lower bound poverty line.

For Mpumalanga, inclusive economic growth and job creation must therefore be at the forefront of the efforts of Government and all social partners.

Like other provinces, Mpumalanga needs to grow faster and the benefits of growth need to reach more of its people.

Fortunately, this Province has many advantages that it can use to drive growth and development.

Mpumalanga is literally South Africa’s powerhouse.

Most of the country’s electricity comes from here, fuelled by the abundant coal reserves in this province.

Mpumalanga will therefore continue to be vital to the social and economic development of the country for many years to come.

For this reason, the province will also be at the centre of the just transition to a low-carbon economy.

This presents both challenges and opportunities.

We need to ensure that this transition does not damage livelihoods in the Province.

Rather we must plan and invest in the new technologies, industries and skills that are needed to expand job opportunities and build thriving communities.

This is a fertile province, which has the ability to sustain a wide variety of agricultural activities.

Mpumalanga is a province of natural splendour. It has long been a destination for visitors from across South Africa and across the world.

We are encouraged by the determination of the Province to invest in infrastructure.

This infrastructure is necessary for economic development, whether it is through improving the roads on which mining materials are carried, or the facilities for the marketing of agricultural production, or upgrading tourist sites.

This infrastructure is also important for improving the daily lives of the citizens of the Province, from bulk water infrastructure to hospitals, clinics and schools.

This aligns with the National Government’s focus on a massive infrastructure investment. 

It is vital that we build linkages between the Province and entities like Infrastructure South Africa and the Infrastructure Fund.

Our efforts must be coordinated and integrated. 

In my meetings with other provinces, I have said that one of the aims of this new collaborative approach must be aligning efforts that leverage the respective comparative advantages of the provinces. 

Different provinces have different resources and capabilities.

As a country, we must ensure that these are developed and that they work to complement each other.

I am accompanied today by several Ministers and Deputy Ministers. 

It is their responsibility to work with the Province to build its economy and meet the needs of its people.

We look forward to the presentation from the Province and to taking forward the practical actions that will arise from this meeting.

I thank you.

At the invitation of the South Africa-China Economic Trade and Association (SACETA), Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile will on Wednesday, 11 December 2024, attend and address the Launch Ceremony of Corporate Social Responsibility Report of Chinese Funded Enterprises in South Africa, scheduled to take place at the China Construction Bank in Sandton, Gauteng.

SACETA was established in April 2011 and serves as a vital platform for fostering economic and trade collaboration between China and South Africa. It represents 200 Chinese-funded enterprises in South Africa and is guided by the principles of Shared Future and Joint Pursuit.

Through their collective efforts, SACETA members have made significant contributions to South Africa’s economic growth and social development. In this regard, SACETA will launch the Corporate Social Responsibility Report of Chinese-funded Enterprises in South Africa, 2024 report. 

Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the event as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Time: 11h00
Venue: China Construction Bank, 95 Grayston Drive, Morningside, Sandton

Members of the media are requested to RSVP to Ms Tshiamo Selomo 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 today, 10 December 2024, lead a meeting with the Mpumalanga Provincial Executive.

The meeting will be the third engagement between the national and provincial cabinets following  meetings  with the provincial governments of KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo province respectively. 
 
The President will meet with the Premier of Mpumalanga, Mr Mandla Ndlovu and the Provincial Government Executive.

The President will address the opening of the engagement, following that the media is expected to take leave. 

President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Ministers, Deputy Ministers and senior government officials. 

The meeting with the Mpumalanga Provincial Government Executive is part of a series of engagements between the President and provinces aimed at enhancing intergovernmental coordination and improve service delivery in line with the priorities of the 7th Administration.

The Provincial Executive will present to the President its 5-year program in alignment with the priorities of the 7th Administration. 

The meeting will also discuss various approaches to service delivery issues including interventions to improve service delivery at local government level.

The meeting will take place as follows: 
Date: Tuesday, 10 December 2024 
Time: 10:00 (media to arrive from 08:00) 
Venue:  Nkangala District Council Chambers, Middleburg, Mpumalanga Province 

Media accreditation for the opening of the engagement with Cabinet and Mpumalanga Executive Council can be collected at the Banquet Hall next to the Council Chambers from Phumla Mokoena – Office of the Premier of Mpumalanga on 060 998 8781

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday, 10 December 2024, and Wednesday, 11 December 2024, undertake a visit to Mpumalanga where he will meet with the Provincial Executive Committee, and undertake the second phase of the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Handover.

President Ramaphosa will commence his Mpumalanga visit on Tuesday, 10 December 2024 with a meeting with the Mpumalanga Provincial Executive.

The meeting will be the third engagement between the national and provincial cabinets following the recent second session with the provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal.
 
The President will meet with the Premier of Mpumalanga, Mr Mandla Ndlovu and the Provincial Government Executive.

President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Ministers and Deputy Ministers, and will deliver an opening address at the meeting.  

The meeting with the Mpumalanga Provincial Government’s Executive part of a series of engagements between the President and provinces aimed at enhancing intergovernmental coordination and improve service delivery in line with the priorities of the 7th Administration.

The Provincial Executive will present to the President its 5-year program aligned to the priorities of the 7th Administration. 

The meeting will also discuss various approaches to service delivery issues including interventions to improve service delivery at local government level.

Following his engagement with the Provincial Executive, President Ramaphosa will undertake the second phase of the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Handover in Mpumalanga Province.

The handover ceremony will afford the President an opportunity to directly witness the work that has been done since the pronouncements made in the 2023 State of the Nation address.

President Ramaphosa indicated at the time that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure working together with the South African Defence Force would build 96 bridges in the financial year 2023/2024.

Derived from the Nguni word meaning "to assist the nation in crossing over," Welisizwe was a strategic Integrated Project (SIP) prioritised by the Sixth Administration.

Collaborative efforts between the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the Department of Defence have already commenced implementation in provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Free State, and North West.

The Welisizwe bridges are a key investment in community Infrastructure and are giving people dignity, access to opportunities for education and work.

In areas where Welisizwe bridges are constructed the socio-economic conditions in our communities are improving and barriers for communities to get where they need to get safely are eliminated.

These bridges are essential in addressing the challenges faced by citizens and children who previously navigated perilous rivers to access schools and essential social services.

Details of the President’s engagements are as follows:

MEETING WITH PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Date: Tuesday, 10 December 2024 
Time: 10h00
Venue: Nkangala District Municipality, Middleburg, Mpumalanga Province
 
WELISIZWE RURAL BRIDGES HANDOVER
Date: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Time: 09h00
Venue: Solomon Mahlangu Stadium, Thembisile Hani Local Municipality, Mpumalanga

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria