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Keynote address by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Biodiversity Economy and Investment Indaba at Birchwood Hotel, Ekurhuleni
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Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy,
Premier of Gauteng, Mr Panyaza Lesufi,
Ministers, Deputy Ministers and MECs,
Chairperson of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders,
and all the Royal Highnesses who have graced this occasion,
Chairpersons of Boards of public entities,
Heads of Department,
Representatives of business, civil society and organised labour,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
Thank you for inviting me to join the important conversation at this Indaba on growing, transforming and financing our significant biodiversity economy. 
 
South Africa is endowed with rich biodiversity. 
 
We have many iconic plant and animal species that have long been integral to our culture, spirituality and livelihoods as Africans, and also highly valued across the world. 
 
We have co-existed harmoniously with our biodiversity because we recognise the importance of the interdependent and respectful relationship between humankind and nature. 
 
Natural resource use has underpinned traditional economies and societies of Africa, and our people have been harvesting biodiversity products for millennia, and doing so sustainably.
 
Today, sustainable use of biodiversity is a pillar of rural economies across South Africa, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. 
 
Sustainable biodiversity use also contributes to urban economies. For example, traditional medicine markets exist in nearly every major urban centre in South Africa. 
 
The trade in indigenous medicine plants is a multi-million-rand industry that supports jobs and livelihoods across the value chain. 
 
As a country, we have been firm that communities must benefit in a tangible manner when plant and animal species are harvested for commercial gain.
 
A good example of this approach is rooibos, a product that is popular not just in South Africa but around the world.
 
Four years ago, the first industry-wide benefits sharing agreement was launched between the South African Rooibos Industry and the Khoi and San Councils.
 
This agreement has to date distributed a total amount of R28 million to the two councils in recognition of the communities’ indigenous knowledge of the rooibos species. 
 
Another product is aloe, a plant that is indigenous to Southern Africa and is harvested for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. 
 
To date approximately, R46 million has been paid by permit holders directly to aloe ferox tappers.
 
Aloe Ferox is just one of countless indigenous species with medicinal and other value that are being used in commercial applications. 
 
There is also Sceletium, Marula, Pelargonium and Buchu, the shrub that has been used by the Khoi and San peoples for healing and traditional rituals for centuries. 
 
Approximately R29 million has been paid to traditional authorities in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo in recognition of indigenous knowledge associated with these species.
 
We know that compensation in recognition of indigenous knowledge held by communities is not enough. 
 
We know that payment to communities for harvesting these species is also not enough.
 
There must be tangible beneficiation in communities when indigenous plant species are harvested for commercial benefit, whether it is for medicine, cosmetics or other purposes.
 
Sustainable mass cultivation of indigenous plant species must support the creation of businesses, factories and value chains that allow for end products to be exported to the rest of the continent and abroad. 
 
This mass cultivation can also assist land restoration and rehabilitation, as well as carbon sequestration, which is important in the context of climate change.
 
To ensure a more holistic approach to access and benefit sharing, we are developing nurseries for the production of indigenous species, so these can be cultivated for medicinal and cosmetic purposes.
 
When it comes to animal species, beneficiation must result in the establishment of community-run businesses, be they lodges or game meat butcheries and production facilities. 
 
We have a Game Meat Strategy that is focused on scaling economic enterprises for communities and previously disadvantaged individuals and providing land use patterns that are compatible with conservation.
 
There are already a number of commercially successful game meat production facilities in several parts of the country.
 
Another example is marine biodiversity. For many decades, fishing was the preserve of commercial enterprises only. This is something we are working hard to change.
 
In January this year, we allocated 15-year fishing rights to the small-scale fishing sector in the four coastal provinces. We must build on this.
 
Job creation must be at the centre of our efforts. 
 
As with our mineral resources, we cannot simply be mere exporters of raw materials so that jobs and industries can be created elsewhere. 
 
Jobs and opportunities must remain here, in South Africa, in our communities.
 
This is what the revised Biodiversity Economy Strategy aims to address. 
 
It aims to synergise our economic and conservation objectives by emphasising that a successful biodiversity economy must be linked to the restoration of ecosystems. 
 
It broadens the existing terrestrial goals and adds marine, coastal, estuarine and freshwater opportunities. 
 
This strategy places the transformation of the biodiversity sector at the centre of all we do. 
 
Rural communities, disadvantaged individuals and traditional leaders must be part of devising new approaches to investment in community-owned land for biodiversity-based enterprises. 
 
This Indaba is an opportunity for business entities, conservation management authorities, previously disadvantaged individuals and communities to pitch their biodiversity business concepts to potential investors. 
 
The projects include investment opportunities with national parks, world heritage sites, botanical gardens and provincial nature reserves; community-owned wildlife businesses; bioprospecting; and ecotourism.
 
For us to fully harness the benefits of the biodiversity economy, we have to understand its scope and breadth.
 
Work is underway to develop Natural Capital Accounting for the biodiversity sector. 
 
This is being done through a partnership between the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Statistics SA and the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
 
This initiative will ensure that the contribution of the biodiversity sector, including its entire value chain, is formally recognised.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
The Global Biodiversity Framework that was adopted in December 2022 aims to ensure that biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people.
 
The Framework has three central aspects.
 
The first is the recognition that human and ecosystem sustainability requires a global target of 30 percent of the land and 30 percent of the sea be placed under protection by 2030.
 
The second is that communities living in and adjacent to conservation estates must benefit from the economic opportunities created.
 
The third aspect is that the intellectual property of indigenous people must be recognised and compensated.
 
There is also agreement that developed economy countries must assist developing economies in achieving global conservation targets. 
 
The work to conserve and restore our biodiversity takes place as the world is experiencing the increasingly destructive effects of climate change.
 
African countries are among the most vulnerable to the effects of a rapidly changing climate. They have to adapt and build resilience within the context of historically low levels of development and severely limited capacity. 
 
The Climate Change Bill, which is currently before the National Council of Provinces, seeks to enable a just transition towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient society.
 
This just transition must contribute toward the creation of decent work for all, social inclusion and the eradication of poverty. 
 
The Bill recognises that a robust and sustainable economy and a healthy society depend on the services that well-functioning ecosystems provide.
 
The Bill maintains that enhancing the sustainability of economic, social and ecological services is an integral component of an effective and efficient climate change response. 
 
A just transition puts people at the centre of decision making, especially those most affected by the transition, by empowering and equipping them for new opportunities of the future.
 
We must put rural communities at the centre of every decision making process, and ensure we are empowering and equipping them for the new opportunities in the biodiversity sector.
 
Just as we will rely on forging meaningful partnerships between government, business and communities to grow and restore South Africa’s conservation estate, we also need to deepen collaboration on ventures that help us mitigate and adapt to climate change and its effects. 
 
Carbon sequestration projects are one such example for which funding streams are needed.
 
I call on industry, finance institutions, philanthropies, civil society and traditional leaders, healers and practitioners to collectively embrace our vision for a transformed biodiversity economy. 
 
The scientific, research and academic community also has an important role to play. 
 
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, for instance, is doing important work around identifying and developing the use of traditional plants and plant-based remedies for commercial use.
 
Collective action can shape a future in which both nature and people thrive. 
 
The success of the initiatives that will come out of this Indaba will not only enable us to meet our international sustainable development obligations. 
 
They will also empower rural economies, create jobs and support our industrialisation efforts.
 
I wish you well in your deliberations and look forward to seeing the results that will emerge from this Indaba.
 
I thank you.
 

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Minister of Electricity to visit priority power stations
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Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, the Minister in The Presidency responsible for Electricity, will be conducting a third round of power station visits as part of the Energy Action Plan's efforts to address issues within Eskom and enhance the availability of existing supply.

As part of the programme, the Minister will prioritise six identified power stations that are facing significant challenges. Each of these power stations have developed  detailed recovery plans, and the Minister will engage with the station managers to ensure the effective implementation, support and capacitation for these plans.

The visits will commence tomorrow, 26 March 2024 to Kendal power station. 

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Date: Tuesday, 26 March 2024
Time: 14:30
Venue: Kendal Power Station

Details to the rest of the power station visits will be shared with members of the media as the programme unfolds. 

Members of the Media who are interested in covering tomorrow’s visit need to fill the attached form and return to Kutlwano@presidency.gov.za by no later than 09:00 on 26 March 2024. 

 

Media enquires: Tsakane Khambane, Spokesperson in the Ministry of Electricity on 082 084 5566 / tsakane@presidency.gov.za
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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President to lead Cabinet signing of nationwide anti-GBV pledge
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President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President Paul Mashatile will on Wednesday, 27 March 2024, lead Cabinet’s signing of a pledge against gender-based violence which the President initiated in the 2024 State of the Nation Address.
 
All men in the country are urged to attach their signature as a demonstration of their personal commitment to ending this scourge.
 
Wednesday’s signing will take place at 11h00 at the Women’s Memorial at the Union Buildings during a brief adjournment of a Cabinet meeting.
 
President Ramaphosa, Deputy President Mashatile and male Ministers will append their signatures to a symbolic, large-format version of the pledge. Male Deputy Ministers have also been invited to express their commitment in this way.
 
Soon after members of the national executive sign the pledge, the document will be posted online to allow men across the country to add their names as signatories. The pledge will progressively be made available in other formats to men all around the country.
 
The pledge forms part of the effort, conceptualised in the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), to end GBV altogether by mobilising all of society.
 
In this regard, President Ramaphosa said in the February 2024 State of the Nation Address that government supported calls for a pledge that men in South Africa are invited to demonstrate their personal commitment to ending the scourge of GBVF.
 
Jointly developed by government and civil society following the historic 2018 Presidential Summit on Gender-based Violence and Femicide, the National Strategic Plan on GBVF was adopted in 2020 as a society-wide programme to end gender-based violence and femicide.
 
The plan aims to provide a multi-sectoral, coherent strategic policy and plan to strengthen a coordinated national response to the crisis of gender-based violence and femicide by government and the country as a whole.
 
The 10-year national strategy on GBVF seeks to address the needs and challenges faced by all, especially women across age, sexual orientation, sexual and gender identities; and specific groups such as elderly women, women who live with disability, migrant women and trans women, affected and impacted by the gender-based violence scourge in South Africa.
 
Around R21 billion has been dedicated over the medium term to the implementation of the six pillars of the strategic plan, including the economic empowerment of women.
 
Details of the Anti - GBV Pledge Signing Ceremony are as follows: 
Date: Wednesday, 27 March 2024 
Time: 11:00 (Media to arrive by 10:00)
Venue: Women’s Memorial, Union Buildings 
 
Media wishing to cover the pledge signing are requested to fill in the attached form and submit it to Khutjo@presidency.gov.za or on WhatsApp 079 898 4621 by 16h00, Monday 25 March 2024.
 
 
Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – media@presidency.gov.za
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

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Minister of Electricity to brief media on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan
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The Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa will on Monday, 25 March 2024, brief the media on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan. 

Members of the media are invited to attend the briefing as follows:

Date: Monday, 25 March 2024
Time: 09:00 (media to arrive at 08:30 for setup)
Venue: GCIS Auditorium, Tshedimosetso House, 1035 Francis Baard Street, Hatfield, Pretoria 

Live Streaming details:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/GovernmentZA   
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GovernmentZA   
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GovernmentZA  

Members of the media are required to RSVP by sending their details (name, surname, media house and car registration) to Kutlwano Huma – kutlwano@presidency.gov.za or 078 133 1482 by no later than 20:30, Sunday 24 March 2024.

 

Media enquires: Tsakane Khambane, Spokesperson in the Ministry of Electricity on 082 084 5566 / tsakane@presidency.gov.za
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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President to address at the 12th Proudly South African Localisation Dinner
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President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday, 26 March 2024 deliver the keynote address at the Localisation Dinner at the conclusion of the 12th Annual Buy Local Summit in Sandton Convention Centre, Gauteng.

Hosted by Proudly South African, the Buy Local Summit serves as a platform for a diverse array of locally made products, ranging from small to medium-sized businesses, aspiring entrepreneurs, and government entities to larger corporations, to engage with consumers and buyers. 

The event emphasises the role of public procurement in driving economic growth by promoting local content and encourages corporate South Africa to prioritise locally manufactured goods and services. 

Building on the success of the inaugural Localisation Dinner held in March 2023, Proudly South African continues to champion the localisation agenda.

This year's dinner will honour companies that have demonstrated commitment to increasing local procurement within their supply chains, aligning with the President's call to bolster local industries.

The Localisation Dinner will also serve as an occasion to generate new pledges and commitments from the private sector and business leaders in attendance.

Details of the Localisation Dinner are as follows:

Date: Tuesday, 26 March 2024 
Time: 19:00
Venue: Sandton Convention Centre 


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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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Deputy President Mashatile undertakes an oversight visit to Bethlehem and Qwaqwa in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District in the Free State Province
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Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform and Agriculture, will on Friday, 22 March 2024, conduct an oversight visit to Bethlehem in Dihlabeng Local Municipality, and QwaQwa in Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality, respectively, in Thabo Mofutsanyana District, Free State Province.

In Bethlehem, the Deputy President will visit the Apple Production and Agro-processing project which aims to drive transformation in the apple industry based in the Eastern Free State Province. 

South Africa is a net importer of Apple Juice Concentrate (AJC), having imported about 70 million kilograms with a value of R1,3 billion in 2022. The demand for AJC world-wide, presents various opportunities for localisation, creation of employment opportunities and broadening of industry value chains.

The Deputy President will receive updates on plans by the province to establish the eastern Free State as one of the apple production hubs in the country, including the promotion of downstream agro-processing activities linked to apple production.

Deputy President Mashatile will then proceed to QwaQwa to witness the handover of cattle donation by the Free State to Traditional Leaders in the area, as part of the programme to support farming and food production. This is in line with Deputy President Mashatile’s delegated responsibility as Chair of the IMC on Land Reform and Agriculture. 

Government is committed to continue implementing land reform programmes and interventions across the country to create the much needed jobs, stimulate economic growth and investment facilitation in the province and the country.

Deputy President Mashatile will be supported by the Free State MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Saki Mokoena, Members of the Executive Council and senior government officials.

Members of the media are invited to cover the visit by Deputy President Mashatile as follows:

Part A: Stead Farm Fruit Growers, Bethlehem, Thabo Mofutsanyana District
Date:
Friday, 22 March 2024
Time: 09h00 (Media to arrive at 08h00)

Part B: Namahadi and Tsheseng, QwaQwa
Date:
Friday, 22 March 2024
Time: 11h30

For more information and accreditation please contact: Mr Pontsho Mantlhakga on 081 589 4369


Media enquiries: Mr. Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to Deputy President Mashatile on 066 195 8840 and Ms Zimasa Mbewu, Head: Strategic Communications, Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on 060 976 8683 

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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