Mexico City - South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has today; Thursday, 29 October 2015 concluded his visit to Mexico where he was representing President Jacob Zuma at the Open Government Partnership Global Summit (OGP) under the theme “the role of open government in accelerating the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.”                                                   

During the Summit, Deputy President Ramaphosa acknowledged the honour bestowed on South Africa in assuming the leadership and chairpersonship of the organisation taking over from Mexico which led the organisation in the past year.

“For our country and our President Jacob Zuma whom I represent here, this Summit is even more special because of the honour, trust and confidence expressed in South Africa to assume the critical responsibility of being Lead Chair of the OGP”, Said Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Summit.

The objective of the Open Government Partnership formed in 2011 and which currently comprises 66 member-states is to improve government transparency, accountability and responsiveness to citizens with the aim of improving services and reducing poverty.

Deputy President Ramaphosa’s delegation to the Global Summit included South Africa’s Ambassador to Mexico Sandile Nogxina, Deputy Ministers Luwellyn Landers, Ayanda Dlodlo, Mzwandile Masina, Legal Advisor to the Deputy President Nokukhanya Jele and senior government officials.

While in Mexico, Deputy President Ramaphosa paid a courtesy call on Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and discussed the consolidation of bilateral political, economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Mexico is regarded as South Africa’s biggest trading partner in Latin America after Brazil and Argentina. Bilateral trade has been growing but there has been slump in South Africa’s exports to Mexico in 2013 and 2014. South African companies such as Aspen and Old Mutual have however increased their footprint in Mexico with Aspen having moved into the group of 20 biggest companies in Mexico.

Deputy President Ramaphosa had an opportunity to address the Business Breakfast and Trade and Investment Seminar. He also had an opportunity to meet with Carlos Slim the Founder of Grupo Carso, with a view to assuring Mexican business leaders that South Africa remains open for business and investment opportunities.

Deputy President Ramaphosa also met with the leadership of the ruling Mexican political party the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

The visit to Mexico was part of Deputy President Ramaphosa’s three-nation visit that included Cuba and Sweden.

Deputy President Ramaphosa is expected to return to the Republic of South Africa on, Friday 30 October 2015.

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa 082 990 4853

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday, 12 February 2019, launch the report on the outcomes of the Presidential Health Summit held in October   2018.

The President will perform the launch at a media briefing at Tuynhuys in Cape Town.

Deputy President David Mabuza officiated the October Summit which attracted stakeholders from government, civil society organisations, academia,  business,healthcare professionals and users who deliberated on the challenges and propose solutions facing the national health system.

In the State of the Nation Address on 7 February 2019 President Ramaphosa outlined how government aims to reduce inequality in access to health care through the National Health Insurance Act which will enable South Africans to receive free services at the point of care in public and private quality-accredited health facilities.
 
The objectives of the Presidential Health Summit were to advance collective efforts to promote good health care services as an essential foundation for health for all in South Africa, and to outline a roadmap towards a unified healthcare system by committing to rebuild the health system and identifying actions to strengthen co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation across the health system.

The President will report on the proposed solutions that the nine Summit commissions developed to enhance healthcare efficiency.

Details of the media briefing are as follows:

Date: Tuesday, 12 February 2019
Time: 12h00.
Venue: Tuynhuys Media Room, Cape Town 
 
Media who would like to cover this event are requested to liaise with Khutjo Sebata and RSVP on khutjo@presidency.gov.za /079 898 4621 with Full Details of ID/Passport Number, Media House and designation by no later than 14h00 on Monday, 11 February 2019.
 

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

Johannesburg - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the keynote speaker at the official opening of Ernst & Young’s Strategic Growth   Forum Africa on Monday, 2 November 2015. 

The event will take place at 18h00 the Ernst & Young (EY) campus in Sandton.

EY’s flagship Strategic Growth Forum Africa is an annual meeting of high-growth companies, market leaders, government and NGOs who come together to discuss growth opportunities in Africa.

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Date:  Monday, 2 November 2015

Venue:  EY, 102 Rivonia Road, Sandton

Time:  18h00 (members of the media to arrive at 17h30)

RSVP: fathima.naidoo@za.ey.com or Terrence Manase 0823386707 / Terrence@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded a successful Working Visit to Addis Ababa, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, where he led a high level delegation of South African Cabinet Ministers to the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and   Government. 
 
The Assembly, which took place from 10-11 February 2019 under the theme: “The Year of Refugees, Returnees and International Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa”, elected South Africa as the AU Chair for the year 2020, taking over from Egypt who are  the Chair for 2019. The Chairship is decided annually on a rotational basis among the five regions and it is the Southern region’s turn to chair in 2020. 
   
President Ramaphosa also handed in the instrument of ratification, a formal approval by Parliament of the African Continental Free Trade Area  agreement (AfCFTA), to the AU Commission. 
 
The AfCFTA was launched during an Extra-ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government in Kigali, Rwanda in March 2018. South Africa signed the agreement in July 2018 in Nouakchott, Mauritania and has now handed in the instrument of ratification to H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission.
 
This step demonstrates South Africa’s binding and unwavering commitment to the implementation of the AfCFTA, which will remove trading barriers, boost intra-Africa trade and build an integrated and diversified market, with a GDP of approximately 3.3 trillion USD.
 
The Assembly also received and engaged with reports on a number of issues including the institutional reform and financing of the continental body; peace and security on the continent; developments related to the African Continental Free Trade Area; and negotiations for a new cooperation agreement between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific developing countries post-2020. 
 
A summary of the key decisions of the Assembly will be posted on www.au.int 
 
Furthermore, the AU immortalized the former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, best known as one of the founding fathers of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) of 1963, by unveiling a commemorative statue in recognition of his contribution to Africa’s liberation and unity.
 
On the margins of the Assembly, the President attended a Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting, convened by the SADC Chair and President of Namibia, H.E Hage Geingob. The meeting received reports on the consolidation of SADC political efforts in supporting SADC Member States and progress made in the implementation of the Institutional Reform of the African Union and in Post-Cotonou Partnership Agreement Negotiations.
 
The President held bilateral talks with several Heads of State and Government including the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Zimbabwe, Republic of Mozambique, Republic of Mali, Kingdom of eSwatini and the Republic of Rwanda. He also met with the United Nations Secretary General H.E António Guterres and leading software industry entrepreneur, humanitarian and philanthropist, Bill Gates.
 
The President was accompanied by several Ministers and senior government officials.
 

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

Johannesburg - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the keynote speaker at the official opening of Ernst & Young’s Strategic Growth   Forum Africa tomorrow, Monday, 2 November 2015. 

The event will take place at 18h00 the Ernst & Young (EY) campus in Sandton.

EY’s flagship Strategic Growth Forum Africa is an annual meeting of high-growth companies, market leaders, government and NGOs who come together to discuss growth opportunities in Africa.

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Date:  Monday, 2 November 2015

Venue: EY, 102 Rivonia Road, Sandton

Time: 18h00 (members of the media to arrive at 17h30)

RSVP: fathima.naidoo@za.ey.com or Terrence Manase 0823386707 / Terrence@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

Cape Town - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is once more poised to field a number of questions from members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament, Cape Town on Wednesday 04 November 2015.

Questions in both the NCOP and the National Assembly provide members of the executive with an opportunity not only to interact with members of both houses but to outline government programmes to the public in the interest of good governance and the principles of transparency and   accountability.

In this regard, some of the questions that Deputy President Ramaphosa will provide answers to on the domestic front include issues around participation of women and youth in the economy; economic growth in Nelson Mandela Bay; higher education fees and provision of free quality education as well as matters around tax evasion.

On international relations, Deputy President Ramaphosa is expected to provide answers on what government is doing to assist the people of Sri Lanka in their quest for peace and reconciliation.

This arises from the engagements that Deputy President Ramaphosa has with various role-players in Sri Lanka in his capacity as Special Envoy of President Jacob Zuma. This followed a request for South Africa to exchange views with all stakeholders in Sri Lanka regarding truth and reconciliation and constitution-making processes.

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa 082 990 4853

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

The Presidency has informed the Office of the Public Protector that President Cyril Ramaphosa has initiated remedial action in line with the report of the Public Protector on the appointment of National Treasury Director-General Mr Dondo Mogajane.
 
On 18 December 2018, the Public Protector issued a report titled "Report on the Investigation of Improper Conduct Regarding Mr Dondo Mogajane's Application for the position of Director-General at National Treasury and his subsequent appointment to the same position by the National Treasury".
 
Mr Mogajane was employed as the Director-General of National Treasury, with effect from 8 June 2017, on a fixed-term contract of five years. The  Public Protector found that Mr Mogajane had failed to disclose a criminal record on the Z83 application form he completed for the position of Director-  General at the National Treasury and that this failure constituted impropriety or dishonesty, and amounted to improper conduct.
 
The Public Protector recommended that, within 30 days of the report, the President should take appropriate action against Mr Mogajane in terms of Section 16A of the Public Service Act for "blatantly and dishonestly" making false representation of material facts in his Z83 form.
 
The Public Service Act directs, inter alia, that the President is responsible for disciplinary steps and the implementation of relevant sanctions against a head of department.
 
Section 42A(3)(a) of the Act enables the President to delegate to any Minister any power conferred on the President, including the power to initiate disciplinary action against a Director-General as well as to effect the outcome thereof.
 
Consequently, President Ramaphosa has informed the Public Protector in writing that he has requested the Minister for Public Service and Administration, Ms Ayanda Dlodlo, to study the report on Mr Mogajane and advise on the steps the department will take to address the specific issues raised by the Public Protector.
 
The President has also in terms of Section 42A(3)(a) of the Public Service Act – read with other provisions – delegated to the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Ms Naledi Pandor, the power to initiate disciplinary action against Mr Mogojane.
 
Once Minister Pandor has fulfilled her role, the President has delegated to the Minister of Finance, Mr Tito Mboweni, the authority to implement the outcome of the disciplinary hearing, including, but not limited to, the implementation of the sanction pronounced by the Chairperson of the hearing.
 
The President is of the view that the current Minister of Finance, who is required to take ownership of decisions made by his predecessor, may be conflicted in this situation and it would therefore not be appropriate to delegate the power to institute disciplinary actions against Mr Mogajane to the current Minister.
 
President Ramaphosa has given the Public Protector an undertaking that the Office of the Public Protector will be updated as soon as the Ministers in question provide reports.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Cape Town - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will in his capacity as the Leader of Government Business in Parliament provide oral answers to a number of questions from members of the National Assembly in parliament Cape Town tomorrow, Thursday 5 November 2015.

In this context questions that have been posed to the Deputy President include among others:

(i) Whether, with reference to the bi-national commission agreements that the Government has entered into with various countries, some of the specified countries are providing skills development training to South African citizens;

(ii) what the current status of consultations is with former Sudanese Vice President Dr. Riek Machar

(iii) what steps the Government will take to prioritise solutions to the specified challenges facing institutions of higher learning;

(iv) what suggestions the Human Resource Council intend to submit to the National Treasury in terms of reprioritising university funding?

(v) what steps government will be undertaking to address challenges of the shortage of skilled artisans, technicians and engineers

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the outcomes of the Presidential Health Summit 2018, saying the deliberations among a broad range of stakeholders in the national health system will inspire action towards the creation of a healthier nation.
 
The President launched the final report on the Summit at a media briefing at Tuynhuis, Cape Town, today, Tuesday 12 February 2019.
 
The launch was attended by Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Deputy Minister of Health Joe Phaahla and senior representatives of the sectors  that participated in the Summit which was officiated by Deputy President David Mabuza on 19 and 20 October 2018.
 
The Presidential Health Summit followed a consultative meeting  in August 2018 that focused on the National Health Insurance (NHI). The summit  explored ways to strengthen the health system to ensure that it provides access to quality health services for all through an inclusive process.
 
The significance of the Summit arises from the fact that this was the first engagement on this scale and in this depth among a range of stakeholders who encompassed government, legislators, the health private sector, health economists, health service users, academics, health practitioners, labour and community organisations and community health workers.
 
The Summit was structured to look into nine key areas:

1. Human Resources for Health (or the Health Workforce)
2. Supply Chain Management, Medical Products, Equipment and Machinery
3. Public Financial Management
4. Infrastructure Planning
5. Private Sector Engagement
6. Health Service Provision (Delivery)
7. Leadership and Governance
8. Community Engagement
9. Information Systems.
 
The Summit generated support for National Health Insurance and for the principles of universal quality health care, social solidarity and equity in health access.
 
The Summit also adopted the principle of “One Country - One Health System” for South Africa and welcomed the renewed energy and commitment within government to improve the health system to ensure that South Africans receive quality health care.
 
The consensus emerging from the diversity of stakeholders who participated in the Summit is a vital prerequisite for the attainment of universal health coverage in South Africa.
 
Having identified critical challenges, the Summit called on Government to urgently prioritise the filling of critical vacant posts so that staff shortages in key areas of the health system can be stabilized.
 
Based on Summit deliberations, provinces are expected to prioritise their financial resource allocations in a manner that will ensure that the delivery of quality health care is not compromised.
 
Furthermore, the Summit highlighted the need to review and  develop sustainable financing model to address urgent financial resource requirements, with National Treasury being tasked to ensure that this is finalised soon.
 
The Summit proposed a centralised procurement system with standardised procurement systems and processes to deal with corruption, economy of skills and scale. This calls for an information technology system that will enable the integration of procurement.
 
In addition, the success of a quality health system rests on information systems that can generate valid information at the right time and in the right format for decision-making and monitoring at all levels of management, taking into account  the  need for patient confidentiality.
 
Further proposals relate to the development of expertise and funding to implement the National Department of Health’s health infrastructure plan in a manner that will respond to changing population and clinical dynamics.
 
This demands stronger coordination between the Department of Health and partners such as the Department of Public Works. Overall, infrastructure in both the public and private health sectors must meet the requirements of the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC).
 
Mindful of the interplay between the public and private sectors, the Summit acknowledged the critical role the private has to play in the realisation of universal health coverage, and called for ongoing inclusive consultative processes to achieve this goal, started through the Summit.
 
The Summit underlined the importance of the active engagement of health care service users in the processes of unifying the health system and identified Community Health Workers as a vital link between communities and health facilities.
 
Representatives of the Summit sectors are currently developing a Presidential Health Summit Compact based on the outcomes, which commits sectors to work together to implement identified solutions. The initial sectors identified are: government, civil society, labour, health services users, business, private providers, academia, statutory councils, health professionals and allied health workers.

Representatives will consult their key constituencies on the interventions to be implemented and craft a plan including clear objectives, methods, timelines, milestones and indicators as well as financial resources.

Addressing media at the launch of the Summit report, President Ramaphosa said: “The Presidential Health Summit 2018 gave us an opportunity to examine our national health system as a patient in its own right and to arrive at a diagnosis that would allow us to intervene and return this system to good health.

“We need a robust, efficient and caring health system in a country where more than seven million people live with HIV; where we are seeing rising rates of diabetes, hypertension and cancer, and where maternal and neonatal death rates must be reduced.

“Too many people do not receive quality preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative health care services they deserve, while others receive superior health care services.”

The President said the attention government would pay to restoring the health system would flow from two of the national priority tasks outlined in the 2019 State of the Nation Address, namely improving the conditions of life for all South Africans, especially the poor, and strengthening the capacity of the state to address the needs of the people.

Realising the magnitude of the challenges in health care, government has established an NHI and quality improvement War Room in the Presidency. This structure consists of various key departments to address the crisis in the public health system while preparing for the implementation of the NHI.

President Ramaphosa said that while it was essential to build and maintain a healthy nation, this responsibility rested not only on government and partners to the health summit of 2018, but on all South Africans who should adopt healthy and active lifestyles and do their best to take care of their physical and mental wellbeing.
 
The full Presidential Health Summit 2018 Report can be accessed on The Presidency website or as a download HERE.
 

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Germiston - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will chair the Human Resource Development Council of South Africa (HRDC) meeting at Ekurhuleni West TVET College, Germiston Campus, Gauteng on Friday, 06 November 2015 from 09h00 to 13h00.

The meeting will discuss the following key issues:    

1. The revised HRD Strategy towards 2020 and the new targets set for the same period.

2. The unveiling of the new Vision and Mission for the HRD Council.

3. The new priorities, within the HRD value chain which the HRD Council will focus on for the next five years.

4. Adoption of a formal  partnership framework between Technical Vocational and Training (TVET) colleges and businesses as part of the HRDC’s Adopt-A- TVET College initiative which was launched at Sasolburg in November 2014.

Prior to the meeting of the HRDC, Deputy President Ramaphosa will visit the Ekurhuleni West TVET College’s artisan training workshops. The training programme offers practical training in Automotive Repair and maintenance as well as Fitting and Machinery. 

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Photo Opportunity during the site visit

Date: 06 November 2015         

Time: 08h00 (members of the media to arrive at 7h30)

Venue: Ekurhuleni West TVET College, Germiston Campus

Opening Remarks by Deputy President

Time: 09h00

Venue: Ekurhuleni West College Corporate Centre, Germiston Campus

Cnr Driehoek and Sol Road

For accreditation and enquiries please contact Ms L Ramataboe at 082 466 8390 or Mr Terrence Manase at 082 338 6707.

For more information contact Ronnie Mamoepa – 082 990 4853.

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria