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Deputy President Mashatile to launch the Clean Cities and Towns campaign & movement
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Deputy President Paul Mashatile to launch the Clean Cities and Towns campaign in Gauteng Province. This campaign is a nationwide initiative aimed at fostering cleaner, greener, and more inclusive urban spaces, while advancing sustainability, equality, and solidarity among all citizens.

The Clean Cities and Towns Campaign is envisaged to start a nationwide movement, encouraging citizens to come together for community cleaning activities throughout townships and villages. This unified effort will not only promote cleaner surroundings but also cultivate a sense of community spirit and pride.

Additionally, the campaign will also build on the Deputy President’s commitments made at the SALGA Lekgotla earlier in the year to address both environmental and socio-economic challenges. This initiative will form part of a broader service delivery drive by government within the context of the District Development Model, led by the Deputy President as a champion.

Deputy President Mashatile together with the Premier of Gauteng, Mr Panyaza Lesufi, the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Dada Morero and senior government officials will engage in clean-up activities. Activities will include tree planting, cleaning at the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication and lighting of the Flame at the Square.

The media are invited as follows:
Date: Friday, 6 June 2025
Time: 09:00
Venue: Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication, Kliptown, Soweto 

For more information on the Clean Cities campaign, kindly contact Matshepo Seedat on 082 679 9473.


Media enquiries: Keith Khoza (The Presidency) on 066 195 8840, Vuyo Mhaga (Gauteng Provincial Government) on 076 636 5193 and Chris Vondo (City of Johannesburg) on 079 851 9908

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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Presidential Spokesperson to host media briefing
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Presidential Spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya will today, 05 June 2025 host a media briefing to update the public on the President’s programme and address topical issues of interest.

Members of the media are invited as follows:
Date: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Time: 16h30
Venue: Union Buildings, Media Centre  
RSVP: Members of the media wishing to attend the media briefing in person are requested to submit their details to ndivhuwo@presidency.gov.za

Media following remotely can text their questions to Patience @ 083 376 9468. The media briefing will be streamed live and the link will be shared prior. 
 

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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President Ramaphosa mourns passing of cultural activist and creative visionary Rashid Lombard
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep sadness at the passing of renowned photographer, cultural activist and jazz organiser Rashid Lombard, who has passed away at the age of 74.

Mr Lombard was an Esteemed Member of the National Order of Ikhamanga (Silver), which he received in 2014 for his excellent contribution to arts and culture and his dedication to promoting jazz music that has put South Africa on the map for many jazz enthusiasts around the world.

President Ramaphosa offers his deep condolences to the Lombard family and Mr Lombard’s extensive network of friends, comrades and creatives nationally and internationally.

Mr Lombard has been the organiser behind the positioning of South Africa through the arts in the North Sea Jazz Festival, Cape Town, now known as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival), and was the Festival Director of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.

Mr Lombard was born in North End, Gqeberha, and moved to Cape Town in 1962.

Originally qualified as an architectural draughtsman, Rashid Lombard became an industrial photographer and later a renowned news and documentary photographer, and photographic artist.

He built on his creative media career by becoming an influential jazz promoter and founder of the then Cape Town edition of the North Sea Jazz Festival.

President Ramaphosa said: “We have lost a cultural icon who not only documented our history of struggle but made history in his own right.

“Rashid Lombard’s fearless depiction of apartheid’s endemic inhumanity and violence and his compassionate focus on the lives of oppressed communities and disadvantaged individuals is a powerful record of our struggle for basic human rights and dignity.

“His creative and entrepreneurial ability gave rise to his establishment of the Cape Town Jazz Festival through which he bolstered South Africa’s integration into global culture and linked this prestige event to the development of historically disadvantaged communities.

“Rashid achieved a remarkable feat with his love for the diversity and vibrancy of our nation.

“He did so with passion and humility that endeared him to everyone with whom he interacted and whose lives he touched. We reflect on his life with gratitude and with liberation and joy he leaves behind as his legacy.”


Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President –
media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

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Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli to address learners at New Eisleben High School Career Expo
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The Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Ms Nonceba Mhlauli, will address learners at a Career Expo hosted at New Eisleben High School in Cape Town on Wednesday, 4 June 2025. The expo is part of ongoing efforts by the Presidency to provide young people with access to information, opportunities, and inspiration regarding post-matric pathways.

Institutions such as the University of Cape Town (UCT), Stellenbosch University, University of the Western Cape (UWC), Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), College of Cape Town, False Bay TVET College, and Northlink College will be in attendance to share academic and career guidance with learners.

As part of the visit, the Deputy Minister will also participate in a handover warm clothing items to learners, in partnership with Gift of the Givers, reaffirming government’s commitment to the dignity and well being of every learner.

Members of the media are invited as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 4 June 2025
Time: 13h00 – 14h50
Venue: New Eisleben High School, Cape Town


Media enquiries and accreditation: Mandisa Mbele, Head of Office, Office of the Deputy Minister in the Presidency, mandisam@presidency.gov.za / 082 580 2213.

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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Remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the high level virtual meeting of the Forth International Conference on Financing for Development
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Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Antonio Guterres,
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,
Distinguished participants,
 
The world is in a race against time.
 
In five years from now, we must have achieved the Sustainable Development Goals that are essential for human well-being and progress.
 
We must achieve these goals not merely because we have committed them to paper, but because the health, welfare and happiness of billions of people depends on the progress we make.
 
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development is a crucial moment for the global community to accelerate its collective efforts.
 
The United Nations 2024 Report on the SDGs captures the gravity of the crisis.
 
The report makes it clear that we must think and act differently.
 
We must move faster and with far greater ambition.
 
Importantly, we must align our efforts across all available fora and platforms.
 
South Africa has been consistent that the priorities of its G20 Presidency should complement and support the ambitious objectives of the FfD4. 
 
We have placed solidarity, equality and sustainability at the centre of our G20 Presidency, driven by our conviction that global challenges can only be resolved through cooperation, collaboration and partnership. 
 
As one of the overarching priorities of our G20 Presidency, we are advocating for action to ensure debt sustainability for low-income countries.
 
The policy space available to developing countries is significantly constrained by their debt servicing obligations and their climate and development financing needs. 
 
We know, for example, that 23 countries in Africa are paying more for debt costs than critical development enablers like health care and education. 
 
South Africa seeks to advance sustainable solutions to tackle high structural deficits and liquidity challenges and extend debt relief to developing economies.  
 
In support of this effort – and in pursuit of sustainable funding of the SDGs – South Africa will convene a side event at the FfD4 under the theme: “Forging a common agenda to achieve debt sustainability in developing economies”. 
 
This event will bring together leading voices from various debt-related initiatives to identify synergies and areas of convergence. It will seek consensus and highlight solutions that enjoy broad support. 
 
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development is a crucial opportunity to reshape the global financial system in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
We must emerge from the conference with bold decisions and an ambitious action plan that leaves no country, no community and no person behind. 
 
I thank you.
 

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Deputy Minister in the Presidency to lead Senior Citizens Outreach Programme in Cape Town
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The Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Ms Nonceba Mhlauli, will tomorrow Tuesday, 3 June 2025, lead a blanket donation programme for elderly residents at Nomwabisi Seniors Club in Cape Town.

This community outreach initiative forms part of the government's efforts to support vulnerable groups during the winter season and promote dignity and care for older persons.

The donation drive is supported by partners in the public and private sector, who have generously contributed blankets to help keep elderly citizens warm and comfortable.

Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the event as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 3 June 2025
Time: 13:00 - 15:00
Venue: Nomwabisi Seniors Club, Cape Town
RSVP: Mandisa Mbele 082 580 2213 MandisaM@Presidency.gov.za

The Deputy Minister will spend time with the senior citizens, and oversee the distribution of donated blankets.

The event will also highlight the importance of intergenerational solidarity and the role of government and civil society in improving the wellbeing of the elderly.


Media enquiries: Mandisa Mbele 082 580 2213 / MandisaM@Presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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Opening Remarks by Deputy Minister Nonceba Mhlauli at the Media Briefing on the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) Q4 Progress Report, Pretoria
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Good morning, members of the media, partners, and colleagues.

Thank you for joining us today as we reflect on the progress made through the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) in the fourth quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year, covering the period from January to March 2025. 

As we mark the fifth year since the launch of the PYEI in 2020, I am pleased to report that the programme continues to make meaningful strides in unlocking sustainable earning opportunities for young people across South Africa. Our latest quarterly report confirms that over 4.78 million young people are now registered on the National Pathway Management Network, with more than 1.67 million earning opportunities secured to date. This reflects the strength of the PYEI’s approach in aggregating demand, coordinating partners, and enabling pathways that enhance young people’s economic participation.

In Q4 alone, 76,569 earning opportunities were accessed by young people, including:
• 60,444 opportunities through SA Youth, and
• 16,125 through the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA).

We also saw continued progress through our partnerships:
• The Youth Employment Service (YES) facilitated 15,137 workplace experience placements in the private sector.
• The Department of Higher Education and Training placed an additional 5,504 TVET graduates into workplace opportunities.
• The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the Department of Small Business Development supported more than 43,000 young entrepreneurs with financial and non-financial enterprise development opportunities.
• Phase 3 of the Revitalised National Youth Service saw 2,048 youth recruited, bringing the total number of participants across all phases to 84,426.

We are particularly proud of the continued momentum of the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund, which uses an innovative pay-for-performance model to incentivise the placement of young people into sustained, quality jobs, has made steady progress in its pilot phase.

By the end of March 2025:
• Over 5,400 young people had been enrolled reaching 65% of the
programme’s enrolment target. 
• More than 3,000 had been placed into quality jobs, and
• Over R70 million had been disbursed to 11 implementing partners, including R30 million in this quarter alone.

These jobs are not just temporary placements. They are quality jobs, defined by duration, income level, and growth potential. We are already seeing shifts in employer practices as a result to better accommodate excluded young people. 

This report also highlights the launch of the Township Ecosystem Mapping Platform, a new tool developed under the Local Ecosystem Enablement pillar, aimed at improving coordination and access for township-based entrepreneurs.

We remain committed to building a connected, demand-led ecosystem that not only creates opportunities but also drives systems change in the labour market. As always, the success of this initiative is due to the ongoing collaboration between government, private sector, development partners, and the young people themselves.

We will continue sharing our progress through these quarterly reports. As always, detailed data and insights are available on the PYEI dashboard at www.stateofthenation.gov.za. 

We also invite our youth to register on SAYouth.Mobi which is a zero rated site where they will access information about the PYEI as well as all youth empowerment related matters. 

We look forward to sharing more insights during this media interaction and will now be handing over to my colleagues who will give you a detailed breakdown of the Quarter 4 results. 

I thank you.

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Deputy Minister Mhlauli to brief media on the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention 4th Quarter Report
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The Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, will on Monday, 2 June 2025 brief the media on the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) 4th Quarter Report. 

Members of the media are invited to attend a media briefing hosted by the Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Ms. Nonceba Mhlauli, to present and reflect on the Quarter 4 Progress Report (January – March 2025) of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI).

Now in its fifth year, the PYEI remains one of South Africa’s most significant and innovative responses to the youth unemployment crisis. The briefing will provide an update on key achievements, lessons learned and plans to scale impact across government and private sector partnerships.

Details of the Media Briefing:

Date: Monday, 2 June 2025
Time: 10:00 – 11:30
Venue: GCIS, Tshedimosetso House, 1035 Frances Baard Street (corner Festival Street), HATFIELD, Pretoria, 0083

Key highlights will include:

  • The earning opportunities secured for youth in Q4.
  • Progress on the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund.
  • New tools supporting township entrepreneurs.
  • Strategies to address persistent youth unemployment in a low-growth economy.
  • The Deputy Minister will be available for media questions following the briefing.


Media enquiries: Mandisa Mbele, Head of Office, on 082 580 2213

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

 


 

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Eulogy by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Special Official Funeral of Isithwalandwe Getrude Shope
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Programme Director,
The family of Mama Getrude Shope, children and grandchildren,
President of the ANC Women’s League, Cde Sisisi Tolashe,
Members of the ANC National Executive Committee,
Members of the ANC Women’s League NEC,
Leadership of the Alliance and Mass Democratic Movement formations,
Comrades and Friends,
Fellow mourners,

We are here to bed farewell to Mama Gertrude Shope, Isithwalandwe, freedom fighter, trade unionist, icon of the women’s movement. 

Her passing comes less than a week after we buried Cde Lungi Mngaga-Gcabashe, the Deputy President of the ANC Women’s League.

As we laid her to rest, we observed that in an African hut, there’s a pole that stands in the middle of the hut. It is called Intsika, or a pillar. 

Women – our mothers, our grandmothers, our wives, our sisters, our aunts and our daughters – are izintsika. Like the pillar that holds the structure of the hut together, women hold up our homes, our families and the nation. 

To have lost two women leaders – izintsika – in such close succession is a great loss. And yet, even amidst our grief we take comfort in the legacies they left behind. 

We gather not just to remember the name Getrude Shope.

We gather to honour a life that helped to shape our country’s democracy.

Mama Getrude Shope’s life is and was intertwined in the fabric of our of democracy.

Her’s was a life that was quietly and unshakably committed to the struggle for our people’s liberation.

As we pay tribute to Mama Gertrude Shope, one of the outstanding matriarchs of our struggle, we should remember that she was a torchbearer for women’s emancipation. 

We should remember her for her lifelong contribution to the struggle for freedom for all, especially for women silenced in the margins of apartheid oppression and patriachy.

She taught us that liberation without the liberation of women means that our revolution is unfinished. She also taught us that democracy without the voice of women is a fragile and partial democracy.

Today South Africa stands tall as a constitutional democracy that enshrines the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all.

We have stood firm in our conviction that the struggle for racial equality cannot be separated from the struggle for gender equality.

We have made significant progress in advancing women’s rights in education, health, social protection, political representation and economic participation. 

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report has called our country “a beacon of hope” in the quest for gender equality worldwide.

This progress was not achieved by chance. 

Gertrude Shope and others made it happen. She birthed and mothered it. She nurtured it with discipline, wisdom and responsibility.

This progress is the result of deliberate policies implemented by successive democratic governments since 1994. 

This progress is the result of a progressive Constitution and Bill of Rights that was forged in the trenches of struggle – a struggle waged by legions of brave women and men who dedicated their lives to seeing a South Africa that is non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, prosperous and free.

Ma Gertrude Shope was foremost among them. 

At the age of 29, a time when many young people are still trying to find their feet in the world, she was already a revolutionary. 

By her late twenties Ma Shope was a teacher by profession, having received her training in Zimbabwe, and was teaching domestic science at Pimville High in Soweto. 

This brought her into direct contact with one of apartheid’s most insidious policies, Bantu Education. 

To witness the dehumanising of black children in the classroom struck her to the core. She refused to accept the dictates of her role to impart inferior education that prepared black children for little more than a life of menial labour. 

She joined the ANC and became involved in the campaign against Bantu Education in the early 1950s. 

When the Congress of the People adopted the Freedom Charter in 1955, she personally took up its mantra that the doors of learning and culture shall be opened. 

She took to heart the view expressed by Dr AB Xuma that education and political rights must go hand in hand with social justice and equality for all. 

Ma Shope’s resistance to Bantu Education was a bold declaration that every African child was deserving of knowledge, respect and dignity. 

She became involved in the women’s movement, joining the Federation of South African Women, FEDSAW.

A year before the Congress of the People in Kliptown, FEDSAW had adopted the Women’s Charter, setting out a vision of gender equality that found expression in the Freedom Charter itself. 

In 1956, when more than 20 000 women marched on the seat of apartheid power to demand an end to the pass laws, Ma Shope was among the organisers. 

She helped to mobilise women around the country, to inform them about the demands of the protestors and to arrange transport to Pretoria.

She belonged to a generation that took the baton from the pioneering work of women activists like Charlotte Maxeke, who once said: “This work is not for ourselves. Kill that spirit of self and do not live above your people, but with them.”

Ma Shope lived by this creed. 

In its tribute to Ma Shope, COSATU reflected on the great personal sacrifice that commitment to the struggle entailed. She quit her teaching career, her source of income, as part of the campaign to boycott Bantu Education.

Abandoning one’s personal aspirations in pursuit of a greater cause is the very epitome of servant leadership. 

There are arguably few amongst us who would today do the same. Such was this calibre of leadership, such was this level of commitment to one’s people and to the greater good.
 
Ma Shope’s activities soon drew the attention of the apartheid authorities. She made the decision to go into exile in 1966, where she would join her husband Mark who was active in the trade union movement and the ANC in exile. 

While in exile, she worked tirelessly across Africa and abroad, mobilising support for the anti-apartheid cause.

She played a key role in drawing global attention to our struggle, including participating in the work of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid.

Just as international solidarity helped win us our freedom, just as Ma Shope taught us, we will continue our principled solidarity with peoples everywhere suffering oppression and persecution.

As the head of the ANC’s Women’s Section in exile and later as President of the ANC Women’s League, Ma Shope had a profound grasp of the realities facing women in South Africa.

She knew that the triple burden of oppression based on race, class and gender would not evaporate once apartheid ended.

In the early 1980s, Ma Shope gave an interview where she was asked why she thought it was important for women in the liberation movement to organise separately. 

The interviewer asked if women were organising separately to revolt against men.

Ma Shope said:

“We are not declaring war on men. We know that the society we live in has made men think a certain way. So, men are also victims. Together, men and women must change their attitudes to each other.”

This statement is as relevant today as it was when Ma Shope spoke these words.
 
As president of the ANC Women’s League from 1991 to 1993, Ma Shope was instrumental in revitalising women’s voices within the democratic transition. 

She worked to ensure that gender equity was embedded in the new South African Constitution, refusing to let women’s rights be treated as a secondary issue to national freedom.

Despite our progressive Constitution, despite South Africa having made considerable progress in advancing women’s rights, persistent inequalities threaten to undermine our advance as a society.

Women are still more likely to be poor than men. Women are still more likely to be unemployed than men. Women are the primary victims of intimate partner violence, abuse, rape and other forms of sexual violence.

Ma Shope’s life’s work is not yet complete. 

It is up to us to take forward women’s struggles for full equality, for freedom from violence, and for the right to live in security, comfort and peace. 

And like Ma Shope said all those years ago, this is not a struggle that must be waged by women alone. 

Men must be at the frontlines of the fighter for gender equality. They must alongside their mothers, grandmothers, sisters and daughters.

The young women of the ANC Women’s League are the worthy inheritors of Ma Shope’s legacy. 

We have seen the great work being done by the League to advocate for the rights of women and children and to empower them. 

The women of South Africa have inherited the bravery, discipline and commitment of the generation that shook JG Strydom, the then Prime Minister of apartheid South Africa.

As we lay Ma Shope to rest, we renew our commitment to realising a South Africa in which women and girls enjoy true freedom. 

Isithwalandwe Ma Shope served South Africa and her movement with distinction throughout her life. 

Her unwavering commitment to women’s rights and her extraordinary leadership laid a firm basis for us to continue building a country that gives voice to the voiceless. 

Her legacy lives on in the ANC, in the ANC Women’s League and in the Gertrude Shope Peacebuilding and Capacity Building Programme that was set up to support women peacemakers and conflict mediators on our continent.

We thank her for her service to South Africa and to the women of our country. 

In the interview I spoke of earlier, Ma Shope was asked what message she had for the women of her country. To which she said:

“My message to women is that we should stand up for our rights. The time for women to be found in the kitchen is long past. Let us, together with our menfolk, correct the wrongs and ills of our society. This is the challenge facing us today. Join your organisation in your thousands, for without you there is no revolution.”

Ma Shope, as men and as women, we will indeed give effect to your clarion call. 

We owe this to you and to the many women and men who gave their all for South Africa to be free. 

Lala Ngoxolo Mbokodo, 

Isithwalandwe-Seaparankwe.

I thank you.

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Remarks by Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile delivered at 150th anniversary gala dinner of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Africa
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Programme Director, Mr Musa Mathebula,
Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Africa,The Right Reverend  GS Moyane; Esteemed Members of the Clergy;
Premier of the Limpopo Province, Dr Phophi Ramathuba and Members of the Provincial Executive Council:
Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr David Masondo;
Members of Parliament here present;
Leaders of various organisations;
Members of the EPCSA;
Representatives of Government and Civil Society;
Brothers and Sisters in Christ;

I greet you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

It is with profound humility and gratitude that I stand before you this evening to commemorate a remarkable milestone—the 150th anniversary of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Africa. 

This sesquicentennial celebration is not merely a reflection of the passage of time but a testament to unwavering faith, resilience, and a steadfast commitment to serving both God and the people of South Africa.

Swa tsakisa ku va laha.

I was fortunate to have been raised by a pastor and have held the values of Christianity close to my heart. As most of you may know, the ANC was launched by believers and has throughout its 113 years of existence been guided by the principles that we have learned from our faith, the most important of these being the instruction to ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’. 

The ANC loves and appreciates the work that the Church and other Faith-based Organisations play in social cohesion, nation-building and moral regeneration in our country. I know people like to say we only go to church when it is election season, but we have shown over and over that this is not the case.

Since the establishment of the EPCSA, in 1875 by the Swiss Mission in South Africa, the church has been a beacon of hope and a pillar of strength for countless communities. From its humble beginnings in Valdezia, Limpopo, the church has expanded its reach, transcending ethnic and cultural boundaries to serve a diverse and dynamic congregation. 

The EPCSA's dedication to education, healthcare, and social justice has left an indelible mark on our nation's history. By establishing mission stations, schools, and clinics, the church has played a pivotal role in uplifting marginalized communities and fostering social cohesion.

In October 2024, the EPCSA achieved a significant milestone by reuniting after over 30 years of division. This unification, decided at the 42nd Synod held at Bhuba Lodge, symbolizes the church's commitment to reconciliation and unity. 

This act of unity resonates deeply with the words of Jesus in John 17:21: "That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you." It serves as a powerful reminder that, through faith and humility, divisions can be healed, and communities can be strengthened.

As the Deputy President of the ANC and the Republic of South Africa, I hold a deep understanding that our peaceful nation is not solely a result of our remarkable ideas and leadership. It is also because of God's great mercies that we have not been consumed by apartheid and colonial oppression. As some of you may be following in the news, the fight for our freedom is far from over! We must be united in our efforts to fight for a better and prosperous future for all South Africans. In this endeavour, we as government understand that the role of faith-based organizations, particularly the church, is indispensable.

I believe that in all we do as a country, we must work together as faith-based leaders and political leaders. Historically, politics and religion have always been intertwined. Religion has been claimed to be the source of some of the most remarkable political mobilisations of our times. 

Throughout history, the church has been an integral part of the struggle for justice, dignity, and human rights. The church played a critical role in the fight against apartheid in South Africa, standing as a moral compass and a voice for the oppressed. 

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Africa, we do so during Africa Month—a time dedicated to reflecting on the shared histories, cultures, and future of our beautiful continent. Africa Month reminds us that our strength lies in our unity as Africans, in our collective efforts to overcome poverty, underdevelopment, and division. It is a time to affirm our commitment to building a continent rooted in peace, justice, and prosperity. In the same way that this church has transcended barriers to serve diverse communities, so too must we deepen our resolve to foster inclusive growth, cultural pride, and social cohesion across the African continent. 

As we honour 150 years of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Africa, we do so fully aware that the spiritual and moral compass provided by the church has been a guiding light in our journey to build a democratic, united, and prosperous South Africa within a rising Africa.

Even today, in our democratic South Africa, the church remains an indispensable partner in addressing the challenges of poverty, inequality, crime, and social fragmentation. 

Government alone cannot address the multitude of challenges confronting our communities today. From unemployment and substance abuse to crime, poverty, and social fragmentation, these issues require a collective societal response. It is for this reason that the African National Congress (ANC) continues to mobilise the church and faith-based organisations to be active partners in addressing the moral, spiritual, and developmental needs of our people. The role of the church goes far beyond the pulpit—it is a beacon of hope and a centre for healing and renewal in our communities.

On behalf of the ANC, I extend gratitude to the leadership of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Africa for The EPCSA's commitment to addressing societal challenges—such as poverty, inequality, and social injustice—aligns with our national objectives. Your outreach programs, including food distribution, educational initiatives, and substance abuse counselling, exemplify the church's proactive approach to community development. 

The challenges facing our nation—unemployment, gender-based violence, substance abuse, and more—cannot be addressed by the government alone. It is through collaborative efforts with institutions like the EPCSA that we can create sustainable solutions.

In particular, we must unite in our efforts to combat the scourge of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF). The church has a profound moral responsibility to speak out against domestic violence and to promote a culture of mutual respect, dignity, and family cohesion. 

Through sermons, community outreach, and family counselling, the church can instil values of compassion, responsibility, and peace. Let us work together to ensure that our communities become sanctuaries for healing, restoration, and safety—especially for women, children, and the most vulnerable among us.

Makholwa,

Let us draw inspiration from Romans 12:10-16, which urges us to "be devoted to one another in love" and "live in harmony with one another." These principles are the foundation of social cohesion and nation-building.

As we celebrate this 150-year milestone, let us therefore, remember that our strength as a nation lies in our unity. Let us  reaffirm our commitment to unity, service, and faith. Let us continue to work together—government, church, and civil society—to build a South Africa that is inclusive, just, and prosperous.

Once again, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Africa on this momentous occasion. May your legacy of faith and service continue to inspire generations to come.

Inkomo.

Thank you.

May God bless you all.

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 Union Building