QUESTION 

1. Dr MME Tlhape (ANC) to ask the President of the Republic: 

Considering that the land reform programme in the agricultural sector has resulted in a growth of 4,2% per annum with 985 000 persons employed in the sector, as well as an increase in employment in the last quarter of 27 000 persons, what is the integrated plan of the Government going forward to maintain growth and job creation in the agricultural sector through land reform? 

REPLY:

Honourable Members, 

Land reform is vital to the transformation of our society and to correct historical injustices.

Redistribution, restitution and the provision of secure tenure also contribute to greater agricultural activity and enable more people to earn a living off farming.

Government’s land reform programme is supported by several complementary programmes and initiatives to enable growth and job creation.

In May 2022, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development signed the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan with partners in business and labour.

Among many other things, the plan supports the acceleration of land reform and outlines actions that the private sector can take to support optimal use of land available to black farmers as a result of land reform projects

These actions include support to black farmers and SMMEs at the processing level to have better access to domestic and export markets.

The plan also encourages large commercial farmers to participate voluntarily in the land reform programme by donating land to historically disadvantaged farmers or participating in joint ventures to facilitate linkages between small- and medium-scale farmers operating on a commercial basis.

If the proposed interventions are implemented effectively, the social partners believe that by 2030, the agricultural sector can grow by an additional R32 billion above the ‘business-as-usual’ baseline.

Through this plan, they intend to maintain the existing jobs in the sector and create many more jobs by 2030.

For the economic potential of our land reform programme to be fully realised, we are prioritising broader rural development.

The Integrated Rural Development Sector Strategy of 2023 aims, among other things, to revitalise the rural economy through investment in, and development of, rural infrastructure.

This includes investment in roads, bridges and other transport infrastructure, water and irrigation schemes, public health and education. 

The strategy also provides for support to industries that support rural development, including agriculture and agro-processing, mining, the digital economy, the ocean economy, tourism, arts and culture.

Improvements in rural infrastructure are necessary if we are to reap the economic potential of land reform. Beneficiaries of the various land reform projects need to be able to access water resources, get their produce to market, participate in local economic activity and have ready access to funding and other support.

The land reform programme is also supported by initiatives that support skills development and employment, particularly for the youth.

Through the National Rural Youth Service Corps – or NARYSEC – government provides young people with the skills and capabilities to participate in the economy. Through such rural development initiatives more than 1,100 jobs have been facilitated in the current financial year.

Through Presidential Employment Stimulus, more than 180,000 agricultural production inputs vouchers have been issued to subsistence producers. 

The Presidential Employment Stimulus has also worked with the provincial departments of agriculture and social partners to provide support to more than 62,000 subsistence and smallholder producers to strengthen self-employment and food security. 

Through these complementary programmes and initiatives, we are working to ensure that land reform is harnessed more effectively to support the growth of agriculture and agro-processing and to expand employment and livelihoods in this vital industry.

I thank you.  


QUESTION 

2. The Leader of the Opposition (DA) to ask the President of the Republic: 

Whether, with reference to his commitment during his reply to the debate on the State of the Nation Address on 20 February 2018 that lifestyle audits will be done starting with Members of the Executive and his pledge on 31 August 2020 to conduct lifestyle audits on all public representatives in light of it becoming compulsory on 1 April 2021 for all Ministries and departments to conduct lifestyle audits and noting his reassurance in his State of the Nation Address on 10 February 2022 that lifestyle audits were already being implemented across the Public Service, the lifestyle audits on Members of the Executive have now been concluded since his reply to oral question 13 on 5 September 2023; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the outcomes of the lifestyle audits? 

REPLY:

Honourable Members, 

After several delays, lifestyle audits of Members of the Executive are underway. This process is being led by the Director-General in the Presidency and Secretary of Cabinet. 

The President, Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers are currently in the process of submitting addional information required for these audits. 

As I have indicated before, the aim of a lifestyle audit is to collect as much information as possible on an individual’s lifestyle to be able to identify when an individual’s expenditure exceeds his or her income. In itself a lifestyle audit is not conclusive, but may indicate that further investigation is required to establish if there is any wrongdoing. 

Due to cost containment measures in government, it was decided to build capacity within the Office of the Director-General to conduct these lifestyle audits.

The Office of the Director-General had to source competent and skilled personnel with experience in conducting lifestyle audits. The capacity building exercise took longer than anticipated which impacted negatively on the timelines for the audits. 

This is the first time that national government is conducting lifestyle audits of Members of the Executive, requiring new systems, processes and methodologies to be developed. 

The Director-General will decide on the most appropriate way to communicate the outcomes of the audits once completed.

I thank you.


QUESTION 

3. Mr M Nontsele (ANC) to ask the President of the Republic: 

Considering that since its implementation the Presidential Employment Stimulus has created an estimated 1,2 million job opportunities for particularly youth and women, how (a) does the Government intend to intensify the specified programme to expand public employment and (b) will the Government ensure that the programme is linked to skills development? 

REPLY:

Honourable Members, 

Between October 2020 and December 2023, the Presidential Employment Stimulus has created work and livelihood opportunities for over 1.7 million people. 

Of the participants in the various programmes, 65 percent are women and 85 percent are young people.

The Presidential Employment Stimulus has built an institutional architecture that is able to scale rapidly should the opportunity to do so arise. 

Right now, fiscal constraints mean that while the programme has been extended to March 2025, it is not currently able to expand. 

The focus in the coming year is therefore on taking the quality of outcomes to the next level, focusing on enhancing the work experience for participants as well as on the quality of the social value they create for communities. 

This includes skills development – both ‘soft’ skills derived from work experience as well as more formal skills development. 

Different programmes are able to achieve this to different extents, depending on the budgets made available. For example, in the Social Employment Fund, the skills development offered is a key criterion in the selection of implementing partners. 

Programmes such as the Basic Education Employment Initiative have also augmented what they can offer by building partnerships with the SETA system, with TVETs and also with organisations outside of the state. 

The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention’s approach to skills development focuses on demand-led skilling, which is about increasing the relevance and delivery of interventions that address current skills gaps and emerging needs. 

To take forward this work, the Department of Higher Education and Training, with the support of the Presidency, has established demand-led skilling workstreams in priority growth sectors. This is to ensure that skilling interventions respond to demand and encourage inclusive hiring for young people and marginalised communities. 

The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention’s, in partnership with the National Skills Fund, has also launched Jobs Boost, a R300 million outcomes fund that will fund implementing organisations to skill 4,500 marginalised young people and place them in sustainable, quality jobs.

The Presidential Employment Stimulus and the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention have made a real difference in the lives of millions of young people. 

Through the work already done, we have established a firm foundation for these intiatives to make an even greater contribution to addressing poverty, unemployment and inequality in our country.
 
I thank you. 
 

QUESTION 

4.     Mr V F Hlabisa (IFP) to ask the President of the Republic: 

Whether, in light of his one-month suspension of the Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Ms E D Peters, who counts among members of his Executive that were implicated in the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State (the Zondo Commission), he now intends to take action against other specified members of the Executive that were also implicated in the report; if not, how does he account for failing to act on the Zondo Commission Report into State Capture after R1 billion was spent to produce its findings; if so, when will he act? 

REPLY:

Honourable Members, 

This government has acted decisively and with purpose to respond to the findings and recommendations of the State Capture Commission.

On 22 October 2022, I submitted to Parliament my intentions with regards to the implementation of the recommendations of the State Capture Commission.

Among other things, the State Capture Commission made over 200 recommendations with respect to criminal investigation and possible prosecution of individuals, entities and named groups of people.

These recommendations were directed by the Commission to law enforcement agencies. The commission also made recommendations with respect to further investigation of and possible action by the relevant bodies against individuals and entities for disciplinary offences, tax offences, delinquency of directors and other activities.

The Presidency provided each of the bodies to which such recommendations were directed with copies of each part of the State Capture Commission Report as they were received by the Commission, so that they may act on the recommendations in line with their respective mandates.

As has been reported on several occasions to this Parliament and to the public more broadly, these recommendations are currently receiving attention from law enforcement agencies and the other bodies.

Therefore, as regards the recommendations with respect to criminal investigation and possible prosecution and other actions against individuals, the President has fully acted upon the recommendations of the Commission.

As I indicated in a written reply to this House on 17 November 2022, any actions that I take with respect to members of the executive about whom the Commission made findings will be informed by the outcomes of the processes undertaken by the relevant entities.

The extensive actions that this administration has taken on the recommendations of the State Capture Commission – including the introduction of draft legislative changes that are currently before this House – have been detailed in several public reports.

The most recent comprehensive report was published in November 2023, and there is a searchable online database that enables members of the public – and indeed Members of Parliament – to track progress. 

The report and the database may be found at: www.stateofthenation.gov.za.

I thank you.

QUESTION 

5. Dr PJ Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the President of the Republic: 

In most democracies that place a high premium on good governance, members of the Executive lose their positions as holders of a public office once they undermine the public’s trust through their actions and conduct, as established by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests in the matter of the then Minister of Transport, now the Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Ms E D Peters, why would he therefore suspend the Deputy Minister, Ms E D Peters, for only one month instead of removing her from Office as would be the ordinary democratic practice commensurate with good governance and his sworn fight against corruption? 

REPLY:

Honourable Members, 

This administration places a premium on good governance, due process and the rule of law. 

This House made certain determinations in relation to Deputy Minister Peters. 

I have sanctioned her in relation to these. In my view the sanctioned imposed on her was commensurate with the breaches this House found her to have committed, over and above the sanctions imposed by this House.

Other current Members of the Executive implicated by the State Capture Commission have not been charged or found wanting in terms of ethical breaches by any body at this stage. 

As I have said before in this House, any actions that I take with respect to members of the executive about whom the Commission made findings will be informed by the outcomes of the processes undertaken by the relevant entities.

It is important to note that Parliament itself has an important role in combatting corruption and state capture through its own Committees, for instance, through the Ethics Committee and the Powers and Privileges Committee.

I thank you.

 
QUESTION 

6. Ms GK Tseke (ANC) to ask the President of the Republic: 

What is the comprehensive strategy for social infrastructure that the Government is implementing to increase the capacity for planning, project preparation, as well as project implementation to address the low level of planning and budgeting for infrastructure maintenance? 

REPLY:

Honourable Members,

One of the most important pillars of government’s economic recovery plan is a significant increase in infrastructure investment. This has meant that we have had to give specific attention to effective project preparation and the mobilisation of funding on a far larger scale.

We have amended the Division of Revenue Act to provide for the pledging of future infrastructure grants to crowd-in private sector finance and to leverage external technical capacity.

This will facilitate integrated planning and implementation. It will also enable the development of a funded maintenance programme, a monitoring and evaluation framework, and a governance structure to manage the programme delivery.

I previously spoke about the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape as pilot provinces to address the social infrastructure backlog in schools as well as in housing.

Infrastructure South Africa is making use of its project preparation facility to support the two pilot provinces to develop quality business cases for submission to the Treasury Loans Coordinating Committee and the Budget Facility for Infrastructure. 

Through this mechanism we will ensure that social infrastructure, particularly health and education infrastructure, is delivered in a manner that is cost-effective. It will also help to increases the participation of the private sector, both in terms of financing this build programme and also drawing on its expertise and capabilities.

As part of capacity building, the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent – MISA – is developing guidelines for municipalities to use for project scoping and packaging. Importantly, the Municipal Infrastructure Grant makes provision for a portion of the grant to be utilised for refurbishment.

Through these efforts, the infrastructure build programme is starting to gain momentum.

Infrastructure projects worth over R230 billion are currently in construction, including in energy, water, roads, rural bridges, human settlements and student accommodation.

These projects are contributing to greater economic activity and creating employment while improving the lives of South Africans and expanding the capacity of our economy.

I thank you.

Programme Director;
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Mr Sihle Zikalala;
Premier of the Western Cape, Mr Alan Winde;
Honourable Ministers from other countries on the African continent;
Ministers and Deputy Ministers;
Delegates;
Sponsors,
Distinguished guests;

Ladies and gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to speak at the 2024 Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium, which has become a valuable platform to enable greater investment in infrastructure in South Africa.

Investment in infrastructure is central to the achievement of our development goals. 

Infrastructure is an enormous economic multiplier, providing dividends for an economy long after the infrastructure has been built. 

This Symposium is an important part of our effort to close the infrastructure spending gap in our country. 

It is estimated that to achieve our infrastructure goals, we need an additional R1.6 trillion in public sector infrastructure investment and a further R3.2 trillion from the private sector by 2030. 

A number of bold initiatives are being implemented to deliver infrastructure at the required scale and pace. 

We are working on reforms to develop sustainable infrastructure, lift business confidence and encourage investment. 

These reforms include the amendment of the Division of Revenue Act to enable provincial governments to use their infrastructure grants and budget allocations to crowd-in private sector finance for large social infrastructure programmes.

These programmes focus specifically on health and education. 

Among other things, this would enable government to diversify infrastructure financing through innovative solutions. 

Amendments to the Public Private Partnership regulations, which have recently been published for public comment, are part of broader reforms to mobilise and pool public and private sector resources for infrastructure. 

The operationalisation of the Infrastructure Fund has seen a steady growth in the portfolio of blended finance projects that use relatively small fiscal allocations to de-risk public infrastructure projects and raise finance in debt capital markets. 

Through the work that has been done in transforming the infrastructure landscape, the total value of the country’s Strategic Integrated Projects has grown from R340 billion in July 2020 to R540 billion now. 

Eighteen projects, valued at around R10 billion, have been completed, covering human settlements, roads, water and sanitation. 

The value of projects currently in construction is over R230 billion.

Projects worth nearly R170 billion are currently in procurement. 

It is significant that blended finance projects, which leverage private sector financing, are also growing steadily. 

In this calendar year, eleven such projects, with a total investment value of R45 billion, are expected to reach financial close. 

One of the areas that we have focused on is the unblocking of multiple government authorisations, permits, licences and exemptions. 

To date, Infrastructure South Africa has unblocked a total of R25 billion worth of projects in the renewable energy space using the Infrastructure Development Act to fast-track government authorisations. 

Among the Strategic Integrated Projects, the energy portfolio has the biggest project pipeline, covering transmission, gas, renewables and green hydrogen. 

The project pipeline comprises more than 100 projects amounting to R240 billion. 

South Africa is positioning itself to be a leader in green hydrogen, working towards a sustainable future driven by innovation. 

The green hydrogen programme, estimated at R300 billion and comprised of 14 projects, is an important part of the country’s just transition. 

Major water infrastructure projects are under construction in several parts of the country, expanding the capacity of our dams and bulk water infrastructure. 

The transport sector is one the best performing portfolios in the SIP pipeline, with six projects worth R25 billion completed to date, and a further five projects currently in construction. 

The human settlements portfolio has to date created over 38,000 direct jobs and nearly 9,000 housing units have been constructed. 

The key to developing a bankable and viable project pipeline is project preparation. 

Projects being taken to procurement without the requisite readiness often lead to cost and time overruns during implementation. 

We have made bold and decisive interventions to provide a predictable funding regime for project preparation and consolidate expertise in developing bankable projects through our own infrastructure development agency, Infrastructure South Africa. 

Infrastructure South Africa is re-orientating project preparation to promote growth and enable export sectors, manufacturing and the green economy. 

It is focusing on projects that contribute to job creation, both during construction and operations. 

It is promoting economic competitiveness through projects that help integrate South Africa into global supply chains, particularly focusing on rail and port.

Infrastructure South Africa is also preparing projects in a manner that contributes to inclusivity by broadening the participation of local content.

This approach is being applied to what it has identified as the top 12 priority infrastructure projects, with a cumulative project value of more than R180 billion.

It is anticipated that more than 400,000 jobs, both direct and indirect, will be created during the construction and operation of these projects. 

The top 12 priority infrastructure projects aim to leverage technical and financial expertise of development finance institutions and multilateral development banks to increase the capacity of the state. 

The priority projects include the Fetakgomo Tubatse, Namakwa and Nkomazi Special Economic Zones, which are earmarked for project preparation support. 

Four of the top 12 priority projects support the planned investment in rail and ports to alleviate the freight congestion, shift transportation of goods from road to rail, and boost exports through improved access to international markets. 

There also priority projects for project preparation in energy security and the green economy, such as Eskom’s gas project at Mossel Bay and pumped hydro storage project in Fetakgomo Tubatse Special Economic Zone. 

Water infrastructure projects have traditionally been financed largely through the fiscus. 

Through the preparation of both the Amathole Water bulk supply augmentation and the Rooiwal waste water treatment plant, Infrastructure South Africa is aiming to leverage private sector involvement in the financing and delivery of these projects. 

The health and education programmes included in the top 12 priority projects are aimed at addressing the funding challenge, avoiding cost and schedule overruns and ensuring integrated planning and proper procurement processes. 

We are working to rebuild the construction industry and ensure that it is able to deliver projects on time, within budget and to the right quality. 

With well over 1.2 million people employed in the industry, there needs to be a constant reliable pipeline of projects that enables the sector and its supplier industry to plan ahead. 

Infrastructure South Africa is today publishing the first edition of a Construction Book that showcases 153 infrastructure projects across five major state-owned enterprises. These include Transnet Freight Rail, Transnet National Ports Authority, Airports Company South Africa, Eskom and SANRAL. 

The projects showcased in this Construction Book will contribute to greater economic growth, while at the same time supporting the provision of public services and laying the foundation for long-term growth. 

The Construction Book, a first of its kind in South Africa, demonstrates government’s ambition to drive economic development through the construction sector and deliver high quality infrastructure projects that create value in the economy and society.

We are not limiting our ambition to South Africa alone.

The development and integration of the African continent requires a massive investment in infrastructure, including regional infrastructure. 

We have built broad political consensus on the need for infrastructure integration, but despite this, progress on implementing regional and continent-wide infrastructure has been slow. 

Compared to other regions of the world, Sub-Saharan Africa has the longest export times, the highest export costs and onerous border compliance requirements. 

Transport costs along Southern African Development Community corridors are among the highest in the world, with border posts imposing significant costs and time delays. 

We therefore welcome the inaugural Leaders Forum Meeting convened by Minister Sihle Zikalala yesterday. 

We hope that it will bring fresh momentum to regional and continent-wide projects, institutionalise platforms of engagement and lead to a sharing of resources for project preparation and execution, finance and private sector participation. 

We must be resolute as we work to progress projects to financial close and implementation. 

We must continue our efforts to create the right environment to develop better infrastructure, and we must improve the delivery of catalytic infrastructure projects that connect countries and regions. 

Since it was first held in 2020, the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium has been an essential part of the growth of infrastructure investment in our country.

As we reflect on the great progress that has been made, we look ahead to even better prospects for growth and development in our economy.

We have done much over the last few years. Through this Symposium we are laying a foundation to do much more.

I thank you.

Members of the Executive:
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Sihle Zikalala;
Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille;
Minister of Human Settlements Mamoloko Kubayi;
Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga;
Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong;
Deputy Minister of Transport Lisa Mangcu;
Our Guests and Leaders from the Continent
Minister of Works and Transport in the Kingdom of Eswatini Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe;
Minister of Home Affairs in the Kingdom of Lesotho Lebone Lephema;
Minister of Local Government and Public Works in the Republic of Zimbabwe Winston Chitando;
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications in the Republic of Liberia Sekou M. Kromah;
Minister of Land and Housing in the Republic of Seychelles Billy Rangasamy;
Vice Ministro Don Pascual ONDO NZE OYANA Vice Ministro de Obras Publicas, Equatorial Guinea;
Ladies and Gentlemen;

Good Evening,

I am honoured to address this dinner tonight, as I believe in the work that Infrastructre South Africa has done over the past years. I wish to welcome all those who have come from out of South Africa to participate in this Symposium. You are most welcome to our country, and I hope that you will enjoy the hospitality that this nation has to offer.
 
The activities of the Symposium today have set the tone for government accountability as shown during the media briefing this afternoon, as well as through local collaboration and partnerships seen in the Memorandum of Understanding signed between government partners as well as the private sector.
 
Most importantly, this symposium sets the tone for collaboration and cooperation within the continent. I wish to congratulate Minister Zikalala for successfully convening the inaugural leader’s forum this morning with his counterparts in the continent and look forward to positive outcomes stemming from the deliberations.
 
As we gather this evening ahead of the final Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa in the sixth administration, it is important that we not only take stock of the success of the Infrastructure Investment Plan as adopted by the Cabinet in 2020, but that we also look to the future with optimism for infrastructure-led economic growth and prosperity.
 
On the 23^rd of June 2020, following a hard lockdown due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the South African government held the inaugural Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of South Africa, a culmination of extensive stakeholder consultation with both government and private sector role players in the infrastructure eco-system.

The symposium had a dual mandate of producing a credible infrastructure pipeline and further finding the finances required to support the delivery of that pipeline. At the time of the symposium, we had not yet experienced the full devastating effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
 
In the months that followed, it became clear that the country would need a decisive and aggressive plan to set the ball rolling for economic recovery, hence the establishment of the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan, which has at its centre the delivery of quality infrastructure.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The three central themes that anchor the Infrastructure Investment Plan have remained consistent throughout the sixth administration, These themes are quality infrastructure for development, recovery, and inclusive growth, all of these spearheaded by the government through policy development and implementation.
 
When we say development, we mean both the development and delivery of infrastructure and the development of our people through infrastructure delivery. When we say recovery, we mean the recovery of our economy through a large-scale infrastructure programme led and championed by the government.
 
When we say inclusive, we mean the redressing of spatial imbalances between urban and rural areas through infrastructure delivery programmes, which we believe will also address gender, racial and other inequalities. The entire population should be included in the benefits associated with infrastructure investment and subsequent gross fixed capital formation.
 
While we are aware of some of the challenges that curtail the fast pace of delivering quality infrastructure, we must use this Symposium to showcase some of the progress and successes that serve as a foundation for the incoming seventh administration, which we believe will be an administration that will bring continuity towards building a National Democratic Society.
 
In the last five years, we have paid specific focus on the strategic integrated projects that have the highest GDP impact, high employment absorption capacity, and localisation potential.
 
These projects due to their economic outlook have the potential to crowd in private sector investments due to their multiplier effect. We are proud to say that of the pipeline that we gazetted both in 2020 and 2022, almost R10 Billion worth of projects have completed construction, R233 Billion worth of projects are currently in construction and R170 Billion worth of projects are currently in procurement.
 
Some of the completed projects include strategic water projects like Vaal Gamagara Phase 1, the raising of the Hazelmere Dam wall, student accommodation across different universities, transport projects like the Musina Ring Road, national routes as well as Human Settlements projects that would include social housing projects.
 
Of much significance is the work done within the energy portfolio of projects. The energy project pipeline comprises more than 100 projects amounting to R240 billion, some of these programs have a value of over R100 billion, and these projects span transmission, gas, renewables, and green hydrogen.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have also noted the gap in the readiness and preparedness of projects for the market. In 2023, Infrastructure South Africa received its first tranche of funding to support projects with project preparation. This has proven itself a game changer as some projects show great potential but do not always have the fiscal allocation for technical support, legal support, or even capacity building.
 
The project preparation funding allows Infrastructure South Africa to support projects that otherwise would stay dormant for many years. It is important to note that of the first R200 million rand tranche received, 37 projects will already be receiving project preparation support.
 
This sixth administration has paid specific attention to unlocking regulatory impediments that hinder projects from going into construction sooner. Through the coordination and support of various departments and government stakeholders, Infrastructure South Africa has unblocked 195 permits for 47 projects.
 
A special mention must go to the Department of Forest, Fisheries and Environment, which has consistently issued permits and licensing within the specified timeframes of the Infrastructure Development Act. This stellar collaboration in government to aid private sector investment in infrastructure has built confidence in the South African government.
 
Tomorrow President Ramaphosa will give the Keynote Address at this Symposium, where I believe he will highlight South Africa’s commitment at the beginning of the sixth administration. Infrastructure South Africa has played a role in infrastructure development and has contributed to some of the key achievements in the sector, and it is indeed one of the best accomplishments of this government.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We look forward to the launch of the construction book, which is a repository of projects going into procurement or construction in the 2024/2025 financial year, this will serve as an important indicator to the market that the pipeline of projects is realisable.
 
We also look forward to the announcement of the 12 Infrastructure project priorities for the 2024/2025 financial year that will replenish the pipeline and receive project preparation funding from ISA.
 
Lastly, allow me to express my confidence in this symposium to establish more strategic collaborations with our brothers and sisters in the continent. The African Continental Free Trade Area agreement remains an important platform for us as a continent to strengthen regional integration at both an economic and cultural level.
 
Transport infrastructure specifically is the cornerstone for economic expansion in the region, and we must make sure that we use the discussions and deliberations of the Symposium to bring tangible collaboration on bi-national projects that will strengthen the continent and its economy.
 
I wish you the best with the rest of the Symposium, and are confident in the outcomes and their capacity to further develop and advance South Africa and the continent at large.

Thank You,

Programme Director;
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Ronald Lamola;
Honourable Justices of the Constitutional Court;
Speaker of Parliament, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula;
Chief Justice Raymond Zondo
Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Mr Amos Masondo;
Judge-Presidents;
Members of the Judiciary and Magistracy present;
Representatives of constitutional bodies and Chapter 9 Institutions;
Members of the legal fraternity;
Representatives of international bodies;
Traditional leaders present;
Officials;
Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour to be part of this conference, which is a reflection on 30 years of the promotion of and respect for human rights in South Africa. 

The adoption of our Constitution with its Bill of Rights by the Constitutional Assembly on the 8th of May 1996 was a great moment in our struggle to achieve a free and equal society. 

As I said at the time, it marked the day our country and our people came of age. I referred to our constitution as the birth certificate of our nation.

On that occasion, we proclaimed to the world that we are a society committed to democracy, to the rule of law and to the protection of human rights. 

The Constitution came to be as a result of a great many sacrifices by many people in our country and in other countries as well. 

Before the advent of democracy, our country was defined by racism, segregation and discrimination. 

The country’s black majority were deprived of their land, their freedom and their basic human rights. Apartheid tore the social fabric of our communities apart as it violated and degraded the basic humanity of many of our people through humiliation and oppression. 

Families were broken up as heads of households had to leave their families behind, to work in the mines or move to towns to earn a livelihood. Generations of children were denied the right of having the presence of one or both parents as they grew up with their parents working far away.

Our indigenous and customary legal systems were up-ended. They were suppressed and dismissed as harmful and uncivilised. 

Given all these destructive effects, the negation and denial of the human rights of millions of people, we can be justifiably proud of how far we have come in advancing our constitutional, human rights-based order over the past 30 years. 

As the former chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly that steered the drafting of the Constitution, it is a privilege to be here to reflect on the state of human rights in South Africa today. 

Since 1994 we have prioritised the advancement and fulfilment of the Bill of Rights as a cornerstone of our democratic order. 

Human rights are the basic rights that all human beings should have. Human rights embody the key values of our society such as equality, dignity and fairness, and define our nationhood. 

Human rights should manifest themselves through protection for vulnerable groups, freedom of speech and expression, religious freedom, freedom to love and other rights that promote the well-being of people

Certainly there have been challenges and shortcomings over the past 30 years, and we have a long way to go towards completely fulfilling the promise of the Constitution. That said, we should not shy away from the immense progress we have made. 

The Bill of Rights enjoins the democratic state to enact various pieces of legislation to promote human rights between and among people. 

Amongst those we have put in place are the Promotion of Access to information Act, which gives effect to Section 32 of the Constitution; the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act which gives effect to section 33; and the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, which gives effect to section 9. 

To give effect to section 9 (2) of the Constitution, relating to measures of redress for the previously disadvantaged, we passed the Employment Equity Act, Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Act and others. 

Our constitutional order is premised not only on building a non-racial society, but also a non-sexist society. 

Over the past thirty years there have been significant changes in the position of women across society. Today, there are more women serving as leaders in both the public and private sectors.

We have passed a broad range of laws to protect women from all forms of abuse and to advance their rights. These include laws around domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and workplace discrimination. 

Later this week, on Human Rights Day, we will commemorate the Sharpeville Massacre, where unarmed protestors who took a stand against the pass laws were mercilessly killed by the apartheid regime. 

In a far cry from the days of influx control and the hated pass laws, in South Africa today every citizen enjoys the right to free movement.

To promote accountability, responsiveness and openness, we have established various institutions to strengthen constitutional democracy. 

These include the South African Human Rights Commission, the Office of the Public Protector, the Commission for Gender Equality and others. 

We are proud of these institutions supporting democracy. Their establishment ushered in a new era of accountability and respect for dignity. 

Before the advent of democracy, our country was a pariah state that was infamous for violating the basic rights of the majority of its citizens. We lived in a country where racial discrimination was at the core of government policy. 

Today our country is revered as a country that upholds, protects and advances the basic human rights of the people who live in South Africa. Following our country’s admission as a fully-fledged member of the community of nations, the democratic state has signed, ratified and acceded to various international human rights law treaties. 

The many treaties we have signed, ratified and acceded to deal, among other things, with economic, social and cultural rights and the elimination of racial discrimination and of all forms of discrimination against women. They include conventions on the rights of the child and conventions against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. 

Alongside our Constitution, these treaties bear testimony to the fact that our democratic government is irrevocably committed to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights in our Constitution. 

Not only are we committed to the rights of all in our country, we are also committed to global peace and will fight all forms of oppression. 

In January 2024, South Africa appeared before the International Court of Justice as an applicant against the State of Israel on the grounds that, through its conduct in Gaza, Israel violated the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. 

At the heart of South Africa’s case is the blatant violation of the human rights of Palestinians by the state of Israel. 

Having noted that the Genocide Convention was the first human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, on 9 December 1948, an act which signified the international community’s commitment to the respect of human rights of all people, we felt duty bound to support the Palestinians in the quest not only for nationhood but also to have their basic human rights protected, respected and advanced. 

The Court ordered several provisional measures, including that Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention. These acts include killing or causing serious bodily or mental harm to Palestinians in Gaza.

While the Court still has to hear South Africa’s main application, the provisional measures that it ordered has reaffirmed the centrality of international law and the responsibility we all carry for the protection of the rights of all.

Our commitment to advancing the human rights of our people should motivate us to address the challenges that many of our people face such as poverty and unemployment.

To quote Madiba’s words: “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity: it is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental right, the right to dignity and a decent life.” 

The social protection measures we have put in place to lift our people out of poverty have made a tremendous difference over the past thirty years. However much more still needs to be done.

The social protection measures we have put in place go far beyond the provision of grants for the elderly, children, people with disabilities and military veterans. It goes beyond the work of the Unemployment Insurance Fund, which provides income support for unemployed workers, or the Compensation Fund, which supports those involved in workplace accidents. 

Our social protection measures include spending up to 60 percent of the country’s budget on a significant social wage, expended on health care services, free water and electricity for the indigent, fee-free schools, public housing, school nutrition, early childhood development and expanded financial support for students. 

These measures have contributed significantly to fulfilling the most basic human right of all, namely the right to dignity. 

Certainly we know that social protection is no substitute for decent work. It is our role as government, working in partnership with business, labour and civil society to create an enabling environment for more jobs and opportunities to be created, allowing our people to fulfil their potential and improve their lives. 

We also know that our progress continues to be hindered by delays and lack of diligence on the part of government entities in fulfilling their constitutional obligations. 

We continue to be plagued by poor service delivery, especially in our municipalities. Corruption deprives citizens of the fulfilment of their rights. 

Whilst we are rightfully proud of how far our constitutional, rights-based order has come, we know that much still has to be done to fulfil the promise of the full enjoyment of the basic human rights of all our people. 

The creation of employment for our people and promoting the rights that are enshrined in our Constitution are necessary to improve lives and lift millions out of poverty and despair. 

We are duty-bound, not just as government but as all who have a stake in the future progress and prosperity of this great country, to work harder, sparing neither strength nor courage to fulfil the basic human rights of our people. 

The South Africa of today is a vastly different place to what it was thirty years ago. 

The fundamental freedoms that were denied to so many, including the heroes who lost their lives at Sharpeville, are enjoyed by South Africans today. 

We have expanded access to basic services and education, improved our nation’s health outcomes, and provided opportunities where there once were none. 

All this progress has been anchored in our deep and abiding commitment to the protection and advancement of human rights as espoused in our Constitution. 

This Constitution, this birth certificate of a new nation, will continue to be our lodestar as we work even harder. 

Our people expect no less, and our people deserve no less. 

As we look ahead, we need to determine what steps must be taken to give greater meaning to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. 

We need to continue to contribute towards building a culture of human rights globally, which is our moral obligation as a country emerging from such a bitter past. 

I wish this Conference all the best in its deliberations. 

It is our expectation that it will come up with tangible resolutions that will further foster respect for and promotion of our hard-won human rights. 

I thank you.

The President will on Tuesday, 19 March 2024 officially attend to the call by the National Assembly to respond to Questions for Oral Reply. 

The President’s appearance in the National Assembly will complete the Fourth Term Parliamentary Programme cycle.

This is in accordance with the President’s obligation in terms of the Rules of the National Assembly. The President will reflect on questions ranging from the land reform programme in the agricultural sector, lifestyle audits with Members of the Executive and the Presidential Employment Stimulus amongst some of the questions. 

The President looks forward to engaging with the National Assembly on these critical issues, reaffirming the government's commitment to addressing challenges and fostering progress for all citizens.

 

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday,19 March 2024, officially open and address the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa in Cape Town. 

The Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa(SIDSSA) is taking place between 17 and 19 March 2024 in Century City where key stakeholders, experts and decision-makers will explore partnerships between the public and private sectors  as well as  pivot infrastructure investment opportunities in South Africa. 

Hosted by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure in its the third iteration, the symposium is intended to shape the conversations about regulatory and policy reforms among them  innovative funding models for infrastructure development. 

The Keynote address at the Symposium will be delivered by H.E President Cyril Ramaphosa on 19 March 2024 and H.E Deputy President Paul Mashatile will deliver an address at the stakeholder dinner on 18 March 2024. Various Ministers and Deputy Ministers will anchor various panel discussions and technical discussions throughout the Symposium.

SIDSSA 2024 will showcase the following outcomes: 
1. Launch of the construction book: a repository of infrastructure projects going into procurement/construction in the 2024/2025 financial year
2. Leaders forum: A gathering of South African Ministers with 22 participating Ministers from the African continent
3. Top 12 Infrastructure project priorities: These projects will receive project preparation funding from Infrastructure South Africa
4. Signing of MOU’s with important partners and stakeholders 

The Symposium will also provide the following updates:
1. Update on the gazetted Strategic Integrated Projects 
2. Update on the projects already receiving project preparation support
3. Infrastructure Fund Project Pipeline

President Ramaphosa will open and address the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium as follows: 

Date: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Time: 09:00 
Venue: Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town

Media interested in covering the Symposium can register their details on: https://sidssa.org.za/register-your-interest/

SIDSSA Media enquiries: Ms Tsakani Mabale - TsakaniMa@infrastructureSA.org 

 

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria