Programme Director, 
Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Ms Nomsa Dube-Ncube,
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Mr Sihle Zikalala, 
Executive Mayor of the uMgungundlovu District Municipality, Cllr Mzi Zuma, 
Cabinet Colleagues, MPs, MPLs, and Councillors,
Chairperson of the Provincial House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders, Inkosi RS Shinga, 
Amakhosi, Izinduna, nabefundisi, 
Umphakathi wase Mkhambathini nakwaZulu-Natal, 
Distinguished guests, 
Ladies and gentlemen, 

Today is a great day for the people of KwaZulu-Natal and for many rural communities across the country.

It is a mark of the progress we have made in building bridges in areas of the country where such basic infrastructure is vital for their development.

The Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme is one of government’s most important initiatives to improve safety, wellbeing and access for rural communities.

This programme has been undertaken with greater urgency in the wake of the catastrophic floods that struck KwaZulu-Natal and parts of the Eastern Cape and North West in April 2022.

The flooding washed away homes, roads, shops, schools, clinics and many other critical infrastructure that people need for their daily lives. 

Many of the rivers here in KwaZulu-Natal and in other provinces are difficult – and often dangerous – to cross, especially after heavy rains. This makes it difficult for learners to get to school and for community members to get to work. 

Because of climate change, extreme weather events like flooding are becoming increasingly common. Communities living along and close to rivers are particularly vulnerable. 

That is why we see building more Welisizwe rural bridges as a priority. 

The purpose of the programme is to improve safety and well-being for rural communities who have to cross rivers on a daily basis, to boost the local economy by making mobility easier, and to create jobs and support local businesses. 

Across the country, 58 rural bridges are currently under construction, with 11 bridges completed in KwaZulu-Natal.

The bridges that have been handed over today will make it easier for communities to get to the clinic and hospital, to school, to town and to places of work. It will make it easier for them to fetch supplies and to take produce to market.

Communities are also benefiting from the construction of the bridge, with many participating through the Expanded Public Works Programme. 

In addition to these workers, each bridge site uses SANDF engineers and artisans who do work like welding, groundwork, earth moving and soil retention.

Since its inception this programme has supported skills development by appointing graduates to work in bridge assessment, project management and maintenance, as assistant engineers and as candidate construction project managers. 

The bridge components are all locally sourced from South African companies that specialise in the manufacture and supply of steel-modular type bridges. 

Local suppliers have also benefitted through the supply of materials such as stones, cement, concrete, road sign paint and personal protective equipment. 

This year, we celebrate 30 years of freedom.

Over the past three decades, we have built bridges between the people of South Africa, as we work to overcome the divisions of the past.

The Welisizwe rural bridges are an important part of breaking with the divisions of the past.

Over centuries of colonialism and decades of apartheid, the needs of the majority of South Africans were deliberately neglected, especially in our rural communities. 

Infrastructure was built for the benefit of a privileged minority. 

The historical lack of infrastructure in black communities contributed to the deep levels of poverty and inequality that we continue to grapple with today. 

We remain determined to correct the imbalances in infrastructure. 

Our country’s infrastructure backlog is large and government cannot attend to it alone. 

We invite the private sector to invest in infrastructure development, especially in rural areas, understanding that it supports better conditions for economic growth.

As Government, we will continue to create an enabling environment that will attract investment and support infrastructure-led growth so that no one is left behind. 

We have a shared responsibility to restore the dignity and hopes of the people. 

It is time to build bridges, not to destroy or burn them. 

It is time to build together a South Africa that we will be proud to leave for future generations. 

Today, the children of these areas can safely cross flooded rivers and attend school. 

Today, our grandparents can safely travel to health care facilities or to access government services.

Masiwele isizwe sithuthuke. 

Masibambisane sibuyise isithunzi sabantu abahlala ezindaweni zasemakhaya.

I thank you.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has today, 31 January 2024, met with over 50 business leaders in Sandton, for an interactive session organised by the leading global think tank, The European House – Ambrosetti. The event was convened with the aim to strengthen the strategic relationships between industry and governments, promoting growth through a multi-stakeholder approach.

Discussions touched on various topics, including economic priorities and reforms, tackling unemployment and poverty, building investor confidence in South Africa, and driving foreign direct investment into the country. The closed session provided a platform for business leaders to engage with the Deputy President, who has been instrumental in courting investment to boost SA's economy, as part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ongoing investment drive.

Despite the challenges facing the country, the Deputy President expressed his optimism about the Government's willingness to change its fortunes for the better. He emphasised the need for public-private partnerships, such as those facilitated by the Southern Africa CEO Community – African Chapter, to help address the country's challenges and provide support for businesses, rural, and township communities.

The forum offered an opportunity for the Deputy President to listen to and collaborate with business leaders on key areas that the government defines as critical for the future of the country and the community. It also served as a means to strengthen ties between the Government and private sectors based on principles of mutual respect and shared interests and values.

The Deputy President agreed with business leaders that there is a need for acceleration towards the resolution of challenges impacting key economic enablers, namely energy, transport and logistics, and crime and corruption.

“We should work together to solve our economic difficulties while promoting greater social inclusion and sustainability. Through collaboration, we will be able to make South Africa a better and more prosperous nation,” the Deputy President said. 

Media enquiries: Vukani Mde, Spokesperson to the Deputy President on 081 307 9233 and Thabo Sephuma, The European House – Ambrosetti on 079 488 4687

Issued by: The Presidency and The European House - Ambrosetti
Pretoria

Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Ms Nomusa Dube-Ncube,
Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Ebrahim Patel,
Ministers,
Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area, Mr Wamkele Mene,
Ministers of Trade from AfCFTA State Parties,
Mayor of eThekwini, Mr Mxolisi Kaunda,
Representatives of business,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen, 
 
Today, we are witness to a historic moment in Africa’s economic destiny. 
 
Today, we mark the start of preferential trade by South Africa under the African Continental Free Trade Area. 
 
In a short while, we will be witnessing the sending off of the first shipment of products from South Africa to other AfCFTA countries. 
 
This shipment demonstrates that the African Continental Free Trade Area is a reality.
 
We are in the port city of eThekwini taking forward the dream of an ever larger and ever stronger Africa. 
 
African countries trade with the rest of the world but we have limited trade among ourselves. 
 
The reason for this is clear: we are principally exporters of raw materials, selling rocks and black liquid to the world, instead of harnessing our oil and the minerals to industrialise our continent. 
 
We need to change this. 
 
Over the last few years, our trade ministers have been finalising rules of origin of what constitutes an African product. 
 
They have done well to finalise 92 percent of the products that nations trade with each other. 
 
I am happy to see so many of Africa’s trade ministers here today, able to celebrate the work to which they have contributed. 
 
We need them to be even bolder in further rules of origin.
 
The products that we trade among ourselves must truly be ‘Made in Africa’.
 
The modalities for trade in goods has moved faster than for services. 
 
We therefore need to put more effort into building African champions in finance, retail and telecommunications, and in expanding tourism between African countries. 
 
That is the only way in which our economies will grow faster and sustainably. 
 
The African Continental Free Trade Area creates the world’s largest free trade area by number of countries, and has the potential to bring transformative change and tremendous opportunities to African economies and businesses. 
 
The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area will accelerate the development of regional and local value chains, offering investors access to a population of 1.7 billion people with a fast-growing continental GDP.
 
Industrial development is core to Africa’s integration. 
 
It builds Africa’s productive capacities, adds greater value to our products and diversifies trade beyond the traditional commodities.
 
We have already seen the potential of greater cross-border collaboration.
 
Let me give the example of a value-chain that is developing in the auto industry. 
 
South African automotive companies source leather car seats from a factory in Lesotho employing close to a thousand workers and wiring harnesses from Botswana at two plants employing several thousand workers. 
 
They source copper wire from Zambia, rubber from Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Malawi, Ghana and Cameroon, and steering wheel components from Tunisia. 
 
These are installed in cars that are then exported from South Africa to other parts of the world. 
 
These inputs alone accounted for more than $200 million worth of products traded among African countries and the scope to do more is available to us. 
 
But it requires bold rules of origin. For every one percent of extra African content, there is an opportunity for a factory or mine based on the continent to supply the products. 
 
And as the world moves to green industrialisation, Africa is well positioned to use our critical minerals to leverage industrialisation on the continent. 
 
The opportunities are vast: in food and beverages, in cars and trucks, in clothing and textiles. 
 
We have the capacity to produce more of our own pharmaceutical products and medical equipment. 
 
Investment can flow to the production of chemicals, machinery and equipment, household goods and many, many more. 
 
On the side of our proceedings here at the quayside, we have assembled a few products that illustrate what will be exported today and in the weeks ahead.  
 
Beyond the industrialisation of which I have spoken, this continental market can help us promote agricultural development and food security. 
 
Through our work, we can ensure that young people and women-owned firms are active in export markets. 
 
The Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade will help ensure that the African Continental Free Trade Area contributes to inclusive growth and development.
 
We have a unique opportunity to lift millions of people out of poverty by empowering women and young people to change the continent’s business environment. 
 
The levels of intra-African trade have been growing in recent years, but remain small by global standards.
 
Intra-Africa exports are reported to stand at around 16 percent of Africa’s total exports, compared to 55 percent in Asia, 49 percent in North America and 63 percent in the European Union.
 
For South Africa, as with many other African countries, the start of preferential trade will create great opportunities for growth and development.
 
Not only will it benefit our country’s producers, but it will also see a huge increase in traffic through our ports, our airports and our land-based border posts.
 
The products made in Gauteng, Limpopo, North West, Free State, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape will flow through these ports to markets beyond our borders. 
 
That is why, as the South African government, we are focused on implementing our Freight Logistics Roadmap to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the country’s rail lines and ports.
 
We are working closely with industry to fix Transnet’s rail and port operations in the immediate term and to ensure greater investment in this infrastructure into the future. 
 
As I conclude, allow me to thank the Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat and his team for facilitating and guiding the AfCFTA negotiations. 
 
I thank the AfCFTA Council of Ministers and Minister Ebrahim Patel and his team, for their hard work negotiating the AfCFTA Agreement and its Protocols. 
 
This has made it possible for us to witness the start of preferential trading. 
 
Last but not least, I wish to express my appreciation to the exporters who have embraced this opportunity and have worked with us to be part of the first shipment of products under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
 
From this quayside, and from ports, airports and border posts across the continent, a new era of growth and prosperity is being born.
 
A great future awaits our continent and its people.
 
I thank you.