Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will, in his capacity as SADC Facilitator to the Kingdom of Lesotho, pay a working visit to Lesotho to attend the landmark Post-Elections National Dialogue in Maseru, Lesotho, on Wednesday 18 October 2017.
 
The National Dialogue, which will be held under the auspices of the Lesotho Council of NGOs (LCN), will be officially opened by the Deputy Prime Minister of Lesotho, the Hon Monyane Moleleki.

Deputy President Ramaphosa will deliver a message of encouragement to delegates.
 
The SADC Oversight Committee, the SADC Council of NGOs and the United Nations will participate in the two-day event. Invitees include opposition party representatives, parties in government, heads of churches, the College of Chiefs, civil society organisations, academics, media and the Independent Electoral Commission.
 
The main objective of the LCN is to provide supportive services to the NGO community in Lesotho through networking, leadership, information dissemination, capacity building, coordination, democracy, human rights, advocacy and lobbying, and representation when dealing with the international community and government. The Dialogue follows calls by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for a multi-stakeholder dialogue that will address, in an inclusive way, security reforms, constitutional reforms, media reforms and public service reforms.
 
During a working visit to Lesotho by Deputy President Ramaphosa on 9 August 2017, the coalition government in the Kingdom, opposition parties, non-governmental organisations, religious leaders and the College of Chiefs respectively expressed their commitment to a multi-stakeholder dialogue directed towards long-term peace and stability. All these constituencies will participate in the 18 October National Dialogue.
 
The Dialogue will facilitate discussion on, among other issues, the complexities of the Lesotho electoral process; issues associated with securing national peace, political stability, reconciliation and transitional justice; pre-conditions for undertaking successful reforms, and key considerations on the process, structures and leadership that should accompany the reform process in the Kingdom.
 
Deputy President to respond to Questions in the National Assembly
 
In view of the significance of the Lesotho National Dialogue and the role of the Deputy President as SADC Facilitator, Parliament has granted Deputy President Ramaphosa special permission to respond to Questions for Oral Reply in the National Assembly on Thursday, 19 October 2017 – a day later than originally scheduled by Parliament.
 
Questions for Oral Reply submitted to Deputy President Ramaphosa address, among other issues are, perceived and real corruption in state-owned entities; enhancing the competitiveness and investor-friendliness of the South African economy; poverty alleviation programmes and the state of South Africa’s youth.
 
Enquiries: Tyrone Seale 083 5757 440, Acting Spokesperson for the Deputy President
 

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will undertake a Working Visit to the Kingdom of Lesotho on Thursday 04 July 2019 during which the President and the Right Honourable Prime Minister Thomas Thabane will discuss bilateral, regional and continental issues, as well as international developments.

It is expected that President Ramaphosa will also pay a courtesy call on His Majesty, King Letsie III, and engage with civil society groupings.

South Africa and Lesotho enjoy strong and cordial relations which are predicated on historical ties dating back to the struggle against colonialism and  apartheid in South Africa, shared language and close geographical proximity.

The structured bilateral relations between the two countries are conducted through the Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation (JBCC) which was  established in 2001, and is convened at a Ministerial Level. In this regard, the Working Visit takes place in the context of strengthening bilateral, political, social and trade relations between the two countries.

Bilateral cooperation between South Africa and Lesotho spans a wide range of areas including, but not limited to, trade and investment, security, energy, transport, agriculture, tourism, water as well as environment.

President Ramaphosa,in his capacity as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Facilitator to Lesotho, will receive an update on the progress of the reform process in the Kingdom of Lesotho with Right Honourable Prime Minister Thomas Thabane and relevant stakeholders. 

President Ramaphosa was appointed the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) facilitator to Lesotho in September 2014 when he held the position of Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa.

After assuming the position of President of the Republic in 2018, President Ramaphosa appointed former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke to lead the SADC Facilitation Team to Lesotho.

President Ramaphosa is due to present a report on the facilitation process to the SADC Heads of State and Government in August 2019 in the United Republic of Tanzania where regional leaders will particularly assess progress in constitutional and security reforms in Lesotho.

The President will be accompanied by the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the Minister of State Security, Ms Ayanda Dlodlo, and the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Candith Mashego-Dlamini.


Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Friday, 05 July 2019, officially open and address the first 4th Industrial Revolution SA - Digital Economy Summit.

The Summit will be hosted by the 4th Industrial Revolution South Africa partnership (4IRSA),  an alliance between partners from the public and private sectors, academia and civil society.

The 4IRSA partnership seeks to develop an inclusive, coherent, national response to the 4IR for South Africa, based on research and to complement and support other national activities relating to the 4IR. Among these national initiatives is the establishment by President Ramaphosa of the Presidential Commission on the 4IR.

Earlier this year, the President appointed 30 members of the Presidential Commission on the 4IR to assist government in taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the digital  revolution and to identify relevant policies, strategies and action plans that will position South Africa as a competitive global player.

The Summit will feature various breakaway sessions to interrogate key themes, including: Competitiveness, Concentration and Inequality; The Future of Work and Jobs; Society, State & Citizen; Opportunities; Critical Success Factors and the 4th IR in the township economy.

In showcasing the advancements in technology and immense opportunities of the digital economy, the first-of-its-kind, live holographic projection of President Ramaphosa’s address will be transmitted to the Rustenburg Civic Centre in the North West.

The President will address the summit as follows:

Date: Friday, 05 July 2019
Time: 09h00
Venue: Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand 

Media wishing to attend the summit should complete the attached form Accreditation Template 4IR.xlsx and send to Shadi Baloyi on shadib2@gmail.com by today, 04 July 2019 and not later than 13h00.
 

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
Accreditation Template 4IR.xlsx

Potchefstroom - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Saturday, 21 October 2017, engage with the North West Chamber of Commerce on efforts to rejuvenate the North West Provinces economy. 
 
Members of the media are invited as follows:
 
Date: Saturday, 21 October 2017
Time: 08h30
Venue: North West University, Potchefstroom Campus
 
Enquiries and RSVPs: Terrence Manase: Terrence.manase@gmail.com and Terrence@presidency.gov.za or 082 338 6707

 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

CAPE TOWN -Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will, in  his capacity as the Chairperson of the Human Resource Development Council of South Africa (HRDC), later today, Monday, 23 October 2017, deliver a keynote address at the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, Solutions Exchange at the Spier Wine farm in Stellenbosch, Cape Town.
 
The solutions exchange is aimed at formulating a joint work programme focusing on developing a select number of practical solutions that can be adopted into the performance plans of the participating Ministries and private and social sector partners. The concrete solutions will be implemented between 2018 to 2020.
 
Harambee is a youth employment accelerator, which connects employers looking for entry-level talent to young, high-potential work-seekers who are currently locked out of the formal economy. It is also one of the private/social partners of the Human Resource Development Council of South Africa.
 
Members of the Media are invited as follows:
 
Date: Monday, 23 October 2017
Time: 18h00
Venue: Spier Wine Farm, Stellenbosch – Cape Town
 
RSVPs:
 
Bryony Maxwell on Bryony@harambee.co.za / 084 777 2901 or Nangamso Gxaba on Nangamso@presidency.gov.za / 072 321 6355.


Enquiries: Tyrone Seale: Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President - 083 5757 440
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has commended political parties in Lesotho on the signing of an agreement to establish a statutory National Legislative Reform Authority that will coordinate the national reforms process in the Kingdom.

The agreement signed today, Thursday 04 July 2019, stipulates that the reform authority will be constituted in terms of an Act of Parliament and that the authority will guide the country in effecting constitutional, governance, security and media reforms.
 
The signing took place on the day of a Working Visit to the Kingdom by President Ramaphosa in his capacity as SADC Facilitator on the national reform  process in Lesotho.

President Ramaphosa welcomed the signing as an historic milestone that firmly set Lesotho on the road to reform.

“The Basotho people can celebrate the convergence of consensus that has led to this historic agreement and has built a strong foundation for reforms to go ahead,” President Ramaphosa said at the conclusion of his visit.

During today’s Working Visit the Right Honourable Prime Minister of Thomas Thabane assured  President Ramaphosa of the Lesotho coalition government’s commitment to implementing constitutional, security and other reforms facilitated by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

President Ramaphosa visited the mountain kingdom for, among other objectives, discussions with Prime Minister Thabane and civil society leadership on SADC process to secure political stability and development in Lesotho through a broad range of reforms.

At the outset of his visit President Ramaphosa was afforded an audience with King Letsie III at the royal guest palace in the capital, Maseru.

Among the formations with whom the President consulted were political parties; the Christian Council of Lesotho; the Lesotho Council of NGOs and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry; the College of Chiefs, as well as international partners and the National Dialogue Planning Committee.

The updates on Lesotho’s national reforms process provided by Prime Minister Thabane and civil society will enable President Ramaphosa to report on these matters to the SADC Heads of State and Government in August 2019 in the United Republic of Tanzania.

President Ramaphosa was appointed the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) facilitator to Lesotho in September 2014 when he held the position of Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa.

After assuming the position of President of the Republic in 2018, President Ramaphosa appointed former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke to lead the SADC Facilitation Team on Lesotho’s national reforms process.

President Ramaphosa said the agreement among parties represented in Lesotho’s parliament would enable South Africa to report that, through the facilitation undertaken by Justice Moseneke, the people of Lesotho have been able to develop a homegrown solution to the instability that has affected the Kingdom.

As part of the August Summit agenda, the region’s leaders will assess progress in constitutional and security reforms in Lesotho.

The President was accompanied by the Minister of State Security, Ms Ayanda Dlodlo, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Candith Mashego-Dlamini, Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thabang Makwetla and Deputy Minister of State Security Zizi Kodwa.


Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has this morning, 04 July 2019, arrived in the Kingdom of Lesotho for a Working Visit during which the President and the Right Honourable Prime Minister Thomas Thabane will discuss bilateral, regional and continental issues, as well as international developments.

President Ramaphosa will also have an audience with His Majesty, King Letsie III, and engage with civil society groupings.

South Africa and Lesotho enjoy strong and cordial relations which are predicated on historical ties dating back to the struggle against colonialism and apartheid in South Africa, shared language and close geographical proximity.

The structured bilateral relations between the two countries are conducted through the Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation (JBCC) which was  established in 2001, and is convened at a Ministerial Level. In this regard, the Working Visit takes place in the context of strengthening bilateral, political, social and trade relations between the two countries.

Bilateral cooperation between South Africa and Lesotho spans a wide range of areas including, but not limited to, trade and investment, security, energy, transport, agriculture, tourism, water as well as environment.

President Ramaphosa,in his capacity as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Facilitator to Lesotho, will receive an update on the progress of the reform process in the Kingdom of Lesotho with Right Honourable Prime Minister Thomas Thabane and relevant stakeholders. 

President Ramaphosa was appointed the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) facilitator to Lesotho in September 2014 when he held the position of Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa.

After assuming the position of President of the Republic in 2018, President Ramaphosa appointed former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke to lead the SADC Facilitation Team to Lesotho.

President Ramaphosa is due to present a report on the facilitation process to the SADC Heads of State and Government in August 2019 in the United Republic of Tanzania where regional leaders will particularly assess progress in constitutional and security reforms in Lesotho.

The President will be accompanied by the the Minister of State Security, Ms Ayanda Dlodlo,Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Mr Thabang Makwetla  and the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Candith Mashego-Dlamini.


Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will participate in the 12th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) in Niamey, Republic of Niger, on Sunday, 07 July 2019.  

The Summit will mark the entry into force of the Agreement on the Establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and will formally launch the operational phase of the African Internal Market.

The Summit will also decide on the location and structure of the AfCFTA Secretariat.

At the Open Session of the Extraordinary Summit, President Ramaphosa will, alongside President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda, participate  in the launch of the Tariff Concession Portal. 

The password controlled tariff concession portal was created to allow countries ready to extend tariff preferences and or give concessions to do so in a secured manner. To this end, the aforementioned products will attract minimal or no tariff thus making them more competitive.

The Extraordinary Summit will be preceded by the 35th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council on 04 and 05 July 2019 and the AfCFTA Business Forum on 06 July 2019. 

Since its adoption, the AfCFTA has been signed by 52 countries, with 24 ratifications, thus ensuring its entry into force after it surpassed the threshold of 22 ratifications by AU Member States. 

South Africa deposited its Instrument of Ratification of the Agreement Establishing the AfCFTA on 10 February 2019. 

Currently, South Africa’s primary export destinations on the continent are mainly within the Southern African Development Community, followed by East Africa. 

The AfCFTA presents South Africa with an opportunity for expansion to new markets in West and North Africa for the export of value-added goods as well as services.

The AfCFTA aims to make doing business on the continent easier and encourages African countries to trade among each other while addressing issues that stifle intra-African trade such as high transport costs, cumbersome customs, among others. 


Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707 

Issued by: The Presidency
Presidency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has mandated Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula working with Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and Gauteng Premier David Makhura to submit to Cabinet a solution to the impasse around electronic tolling on Gauteng freeways.

The President has noted and finds extremely unfortunate and deeply regrettable recent public exchanges between Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and the Gauteng Provincial Government on this matter.

The President says such exchanges on social media are unbecoming of their high offices and fail to provide the leadership required in this instance.

The public interest is best served through collaboration, not conflict, and the appropriate platform for leaders to express and reconcile differing views is  Cabinet and other coordination forums.

The President has called on the Ministers and Premier to table proposals to Cabinet by the end of August 2019.

While the user-pay principle remains a policy of government, the electronic tolling system as part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Plan (GFIP) presents challenges in its current form.

The President expects that the consultations within government over the coming weeks will produce workable outcomes.


Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707 

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has today, 06 July 2019, departed for the Republic of Niger to participate in the 12th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) on Sunday, 07 July 2019.  

The President is supported on this working visit by Ministers Neledi Pandor of International Relations and Cooperation, Tito Mboweni of Finance and Ebrahim Patel of Trade and Industry.
 
The Summit will mark the entry into force of the Agreement on the Establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and will formally  launch the operational phase of the African Internal Market.

The Summit will also decide on the location and structure of the AfCFTA Secretariat.

At the Open Session of the Extraordinary Summit, President Ramaphosa will, alongside President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda, participate in the launch of the Tariff Concession Portal. 

The password controlled tariff concession portal was created to allow countries ready to extend tariff preferences and or give concessions to do so in a secured manner. To this end, the aforementioned products will attract minimal or no tariff thus making them more competitive.

The Extraordinary Summit will be preceded by the 35th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council on 04 and 05 July 2019 and the AfCFTA Business Forum on 06 July 2019. 

Since its adoption, the AfCFTA has been signed by 52 countries, with 24 ratifications, thus ensuring its entry into force after it surpassed the threshold of 22 ratifications by AU Member States. 

South Africa deposited its Instrument of Ratification of the Agreement Establishing the AfCFTA on 10 February 2019. 

Currently, South Africa’s primary export destinations on the continent are mainly within the Southern African Development Community, followed by East Africa. 

The AfCFTA presents South Africa with an opportunity for expansion to new markets in West and North Africa for the export of value-added goods as well as services.

The AfCFTA aims to make doing business on the continent easier and encourages African countries to trade among each other while addressing issues that stifle intra-African trade such as high transport costs, cumbersome customs, among others.


Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President on 072 854 5707 

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria