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 2025/2026 financial year, covering the period from January to March 2026. 

The PYEI is South Africa's most comprehensive flagship strategy designed to address the chronic youth unemployment crisis. Launched in 2020 by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the PYEI acts as a multi-sector action plan aimed at transitioning young people from "learning to earning". Rather than replacing existing systems, it coordinates, accelerates, and enhances national efforts across government departments, the private sector, and civil society.

Today’s progress report comes at a seminal moment as we commemorate the strides made by the youth of 1976 exactly 50 years ago. Let their steadfast courage and sacrifice be a reminder to all young people of South Africa that change only comes about though action. The youth of 1976 stood up and acted for the future of this country and it is not the time for this generation to carry the baton forward by participating in our democratic processes as a first step. 

We therefore want to encourage all young people to make use of this upcoming open voter registration weekend of the IEC to register to vote. By registering to vote, young people affirm their voice, strengthen our democracy and contribute to building a South Africa that reflects their aspirations, hopes and dreams. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

As we report on the progress of the PYEI for the end of the 2025/2026 financial year, I am pleased to report that the intervention continues to show sustained progress across its core delivery components to transition young people from learning to earning. Our latest quarterly report confirms the massive scale of the National Pathway Management Network (NPMN). Currently, over 5.9 million young people are registered on SA Youth, and over 5.36 million are registered on the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA). 

Since its inception in 2020, the PYEI has facilitated access to over 2.5 million temporary earning opportunities through SA Youth and an additional 422,667 opportunities through ESSA. Notably, the PYEI continues to successfully drive systems change and close equity gaps in the labour market, with over 70% of opportunities on SA Youth being accessed by young women. 

Key Achievements and Highlights from Quarter 4
In Q4 alone, young people secured a total of 155,161 new earning opportunities through the network, marking a steady increase since the previous quarter. This includes:   through the SA Youth platform. 
• 20,152 earning and learning opportunities secured via ESSA. 

Our core implementation portfolios and partnerships have delivered exceptional momentum this quarter:
• Workplace Experience: The private-sector-led Youth Employment Service (YES) placed 18,310 young people into workplace experience opportunities. Concurrently, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) SETA placements delivered 5,005 work-integrated learning opportunities for TVET learners and graduates; more than doubling the placements secured in Q3. 
• Enterprise Support: The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) provided 6,085 financial and non-financial enterprise opportunities (5,553 non-financial and 532 financial) to support young entrepreneurs in building their businesses. 
• National Youth Service (NYS): Phase 4 of the Revitalised NYS recruited an additional 5,272 young people into its final cohort, bringing total paid service opportunities to 138,056 since inception. Looking forward, Phase 5 is set to recruit an additional 100,000 young people across South Africa next quarter to serve their communities while gaining valuable skills. 

Spotlight on Innovation: Jobs Boost & Rural Pathways
The Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund Pilot Conclusion

Quarter 4 marked the conclusion of implementation for the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund Pilot; one of the largest government-funded formal-sector employment outcomes funds globally. This R300 million pay-for-performance mechanism requires implementing partners to achieve verified, sustained employment before receiving 80% of their funding. 

As of 30 March 2026, the pilot achieved extraordinary success: 
• 9,174 young people were enrolled, reaching 110% of the enrolment target. 
• 7,044 job placements were secured, exceeding the initial target by 54%. 
• 5,211 three-month sustained jobs have already been verified, with 3,795 sustained to six months as final verifications continue. 

Most importantly, it proved that outcomes-based financing successfully supports the most disadvantaged, with youth from Quintile 1 schools achieving higher retention rates. Based on these lessons, we are preparing to scale this fund to R1 billion to deliver 20,000 high-quality job placements through a public-private partnership approach. 

Additionally, under our Local Ecosystem Enablement pillar, the NPMN Innovation Fund; led by the Department of Employment and Labour and administered by the IDC; is successfully unlocking rural pathways. Our partner spotlight, HPSA Southern Africa, has enrolled 1,800 young people in KwaZulu-Natal to deliver critical agricultural and animal health services. Already, 678 of these young people are actively generating income, recording R1.4 million in collective sales and proving how targeted innovation can build sustainable self-employment where formal jobs are scarce. 

The Way Forward
Heading into the 2026/27 financial year, and as we enter Youth Month, our focus remains clear: scaling quality work placements, advancing outcomes-based public service delivery, and continuing to centre the ambitions of South Africa’s young people. 

The success of this entire ecosystem relies heavily on coordinated, demand-led action driven by the Presidency’s Project Management Office, our national departments, and our diverse implementation partners. 

Detailed data, tracking updates, and insights remain transparently available on the PYEI dashboard. We also continue to encourage our youth to log onto and register with SA Youth to access these pathways. 

We look forward to sharing more detailed insights during the upcoming interaction, and I will now hand over to my colleagues to provide a comprehensive breakdown of the Quarter 4 results. 

I thank you. 

Programme Director,
Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana,
Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Mr Lesetja Kganyago,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great privilege to join you for the launch of the South African Reserve Bank Museum. This is a proud day, not only for the Reserve Bank, but for our country.

We are opening the doors of an institution whose work shapes the lives of every South African. Even today, the work of a central bank is not widely understood or appreciated.

Monetary policy, financial stability and the management of our currency can seem distant from the daily concerns of ordinary people.

Yet the work of this institution has a profound impact on the value of the money in our pockets and the stability of the banks that hold our savings.

It gives businesses – both large and small – the confidence to plan, to invest and to grow. We congratulate the Reserve Bank for establishing this museum.

It will inform and educate the public about the role and the history of the Bank.Through its exhibitions and its dedicated schools outreach programme, we expect the museum to deepen financial and economic literacy in society.

Our young people will be able to walk through these halls and understand how an economy works, how money holds its value and why the institutions that safeguard it matter. To build a capable and confident nation, we must equip our citizens with knowledge and understanding.

In devising this museum, the Reserve Bank reminds us that the wealth of our country cannot be counted in Rands alone. The wealth of our country resides in the creativity and ingenuity of our people.

As Governor Kganyago has mentioned, the Reserve Bank has a long and proud history of supporting South African artists, having procured thousands of artworks over many years.

Until now, much of that collection has been seen by relatively few people.

Through this museum, the Bank is giving the public an opportunity to view its extensive art collection in an accessible way.

In doing so, it showcases the richness and diversity of our artistic heritage.

Our artists hold up a mirror to our society. They record our history and give voice to our struggles and our hopes. They imagine the country we are still becoming.

By placing this collection within reach of the public, the Reserve Bank is affirming that our cultural heritage belongs to all of us – that our treasures must not be locked away in a vault.

This museum invites us to reflect on the role the Reserve Bank plays in building a stable, sustainable and inclusive economy.

A stable currency and a sound financial system are the foundations on which our economy grows, jobs are created and families plan for the future.

When inflation is kept in check, it is the poorest who are protected most. It is they who suffer the most when prices spiral and savings erode.

When our banks are sound and well regulated, the hard-earned money of working people is safe.

The Reserve Bank's pursuit of price stability and financial stability is, at its heart, the pursuit of fairness.

The Reserve Bank, working alongside Government and the broader society, has a vital part to play in laying the conditions for economic growth that is inclusive.

We want growth that reaches every community, that draws in those who have been left at the margins and that creates opportunity for the many.

On the 30th anniversary of the adoption of our democratic Constitution, it is important that we reaffirm the constitutional role of the Reserve Bank: to protect the value of the currency in the interest of balanced and sustainable economic growth.

The Constitution requires the Bank to perform its functions independently and without fear, favour or prejudice, while consulting regularly with Government.

This independence is a safeguard for the people.

It ensures that our monetary affairs are managed with discipline and credibility.

We must cherish and defend the integrity and independence of the Reserve Bank for it is a national asset built up over many years and trusted around the world.

The high regard in which this institution is held is the result of the work of many dedicated men and women.

Today, I wish to pay tribute in particular to those who have led this institution since the dawn of our democracy: to Dr Chris Stals, Dr Tito Mboweni, Ms Gill Marcus and to the current Governor Mr Lesetja Kganyago, who carries forward this proud tradition of stewardship with such distinction.

To each of them, on behalf of the people of South Africa, we say thank you.

This museum will stand as a place of learning, heritage and pride.

It tells the story of a venerable institution and in doing so it tells a part of the story of our democratic nation.

It is my honour to declare the South African Reserve Bank Museum officially open.

I thank you.

His Excellency, the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile, will undertake a Working Visit to the People's Republic of China from 20 to 26 June 2026.

The visit follows an invitation extended by the Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Mr Ren Hongbin, for the Deputy President to participate in the 4th China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing, as well as other economic diplomacy engagements.

CISCE is the world's first national-level expo dedicated to global supply chains, hosted under the auspices of the Chinese Government and organised by the CCPIT.

This will be the Deputy President's second participation in the Expo, following his attendance at the 3rd CISCE in July 2025.

The Working Visit will further strengthen South Africa-China relations, with a particular focus on political cooperation, industrial investment, trade facilitation and economic collaboration.

Building on the successful outcomes of the 9th South Africa-China Bi-National Commission (BNC) held in Cape Town in March 2026, and co-chaired by Deputy President Mashatile and Vice President Han Zheng of the People's Republic of China, the visit seeks to further advance cooperation between the two countries in areas of mutual interest.

The Deputy President will also undertake high-level engagements with selected Chinese investors in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, reflecting the depth and breadth of South Africa's economic partnership with China.

The Deputy President will be accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Zuko Godlimpi, as well as senior government officials. 

Media enquiries: Mr Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to Deputy President Mashatile on 066 195 8840

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

President Cyril Ramaphosa will this morning, Friday 19 June 2026 attend the launch of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Museum at the institution’s Head Office Campus in Pretoria. 
 
The museum forms part of the SARB’s commitment to transparency and accountability, opening its work to the public to enhance understanding of the central bank’s role in the economy. This will further serve to bring the institution closer to the public, fostering greater engagement and trust. 
 
It will have a dedicated school outreach programme, deepening financial and economic literacy in the country alongside the SARB’s flagship Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) Schools Challenge. This programme is aimed at inspiring learners to pursue careers in economics and central banking by challenging them to write and present their own MPC statements. 
 
The SARB Museum traces the country’s economic heritage, exploring how ideas of money, value, trust and institution-building have evolved over time – from early forms of exchange to the central bank’s establishment in 1921 and its role in a democratic South Africa. 
 
The museum houses archaeological items dating back 75 000 years, a numismatic collection spanning over 300 years and South Africa’s first minting press from 1891. 

Alongside specialised exhibitions, the SARB Museum also features two art galleries showcasing the institution’s extensive collection. 
 
The museum will have rotating exhibitions, making the collection of more than 1 200 artworks accessible to the public for the first time since the SARB’s establishment. It will also feature permanent installations by legendary South African artists Esther Mahlangu, Helen Sebidi and Mary Sibande, commissioned by the SARB. 
 
The launch of the SARB Museum coincides with Youth Month, which was marked by the release of a new R2 circulation coin commemorating 50 years since the 1976 Youth Uprising. 
 
The coin is part of a 2026 commemorative series centred around education. In August, the SARB will release a R2 commemorative coin celebrating the 125th anniversary of Charlotte Maxeke becoming the first black South African woman to graduate with a university degree. 

To mark 30 years since the country’s Constitution was signed into law, the SARB will release another R2 coin celebrating the right to education enshrined in the Constitution. The SARB will also release a R5 education tribute coin, which will feature the concepts of all three R2 coins: the Youth Uprising, Charlotte Maxeke and the Constitution. 
 
The Launch will take place as follows:
Date: Friday,19 June 2026
Time: 10H00
Venue: South African Reserve Bank Campus, Pretoria 

Accreditation enquiries: Media@resbank.co.za.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

Programme Director,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Veterans of our struggle,
Leaders of our future,
Distinguished Guests,
Fellow South Africans,

Sanibonani. Dumelang. Avuxeni. Molweni. Ndi matsheloni. Lotjhani. Goeie môre. Good morning. 

It is a profound honour to stand before you today to launch the Milestones of Freedom programme.

Over the course of the next year, our nation will together remember where we have come from. We will honour those who carried us here. And we will renew the promise we made to one another at the dawn of our democracy. 

In the span of a few short months, the calendar of our history brings together four anniversaries that, woven together, tell a story of who we are as a people. 

They speak of oppression and dispossession, of courage and resistance, and of restoration and rebuilding. 

Seventy years ago, on the 9th of August 1956, in the very place that we gather today, some 20,000 women of every colour and creed converged to demand an end to injustice and discrimination. 

They came from the cities and the countryside, from the factories and the farms, many with their children strapped to their backs. 

They came to say to the apartheid state, in a single defiant voice, that they would not carry the hated dompas. 

They stood in silence for thirty minutes. And then they sang the words that have echoed through the decades: Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo. You strike the women, you strike a rock. 

We pay tribute to the women who carried thousands of petitions to the door of Prime Minister JG Strijdom: Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophie De Bruyn. 

We remember the thousands whose names history did not record but whose courage built the foundation on which our democracy stands. 

Those women taught us that there can be no freedom for our nation while half of our people are not free. 

Today, we honour those women not only with our words, but with our determination to finish the work they began. 

Sixty years ago, in February 1966, the apartheid government declared District Six in Cape Town a whites-only area under the Group Areas Act. 

In the years that followed, more than 60,000 people were torn from their homes, their shops, their mosques and their churches, and scattered across the Cape Flats. 

A vibrant and diverse community – a place where people of many faiths and origins had lived side by side for generations – was reduced to rubble. 

The people of District Six were not alone in their fate. 

Across our country, over many decades, the same cruelty was unleashed upon the people of Sophiatown, of Cato Manor and of countless other places whose names are written in the memories of the dispossessed. 

Today, as families return to the land that was stolen from them, we are reminded of our solemn responsibility to achieve redress for all the people of our land. 

Fifty years ago, on the 16th of June 1976, the children of Soweto walked out of their classrooms and into history. 

They were schoolchildren who refused to be taught in the language of their oppressor. They refused to bend their knee to a system designed to keep them in servitude. 

Their peaceful protest was answered with teargas, bullets, arrest and torture. 

We will never forget the young people who fell that day in Soweto, and in the days and years that followed across this land. 

The youth of 1976 changed the course of our history. They showed the world that a system built on injustice could not endure forever. 

They reminded us that young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow. They are the conscience, the voice and the pioneers of the present. 

Thirty years ago, on the 8th of May 1996 – having endured all these hardships, having resisted the pass laws, the forced removals and the injustice of Bantu Education, and having fought a courageous struggle for freedom – the people of South Africa adopted a new democratic Constitution.

The Constitution begins with the words: ‘We, the people of South Africa.’

In doing so, the Constitution reaffirms the fundamental principle that this country belongs to all who live in it, black and white, united in our diversity.

Our Constitution declared that we would heal the divisions of the past. 

That we would establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights. 

That every person – regardless of race, gender or belief – would be equal before the law and equal in dignity. 

This Constitution is our inheritance from the generations of freedom fighters who came before us, and it is the birthright we hold in trust for those who come after us. 

When we remember these milestones, we do not see them as artefacts of the past.

We see them as the foundations on which we need to build. 

They are a reminder of the work we still have to do.

There are still South Africans who go to bed hungry, still young people without work, still communities living in fear of criminals.

There are still South Africans waiting for the dignity that freedom promised. 

We do not gather here to declare that our long walk to freedom is complete.

Rather we gather here to acknowledge the great progress that we have achieved together as free South Africans, and affirm our commitment to complete the task that history has bestowed upon us.

Since the dawn of democracy, millions who lived in darkness now have electricity. 

Millions who carried water from distant rivers now have clean water flowing from a tap. Together, we have built millions of homes and thousands of clinics and schools. 

Through the provision of social grants and free basic services, we have improved the quality of life of children, the elderly, persons with disabilities and families across the country. 

For the women of South Africa, we have opened doors that were once bolted shut. 

Women hold positions of leadership in government, in our courts, in our boardrooms, in our universities and colleges, and in many other areas of our national life. 

We have done much to advance the education of the girl child, achieving gender parity in access to schooling and seeing female learners excelling in matric and in further studies.

We have put in place laws and programmes that advance the position of women in the workplace and in the economy more broadly.

We have placed the fight against gender-based violence and femicide at the centre of our national agenda, because a country where women are not safe is a country that is not yet free. 

The work is far from done, but we can say that through our collective efforts the daughters of Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophie de Bruyn are rising. 

For our young people, we have made school accessible to more children than ever before, with no-fee schools and daily meals for those who would otherwise learn on an empty stomach. 

Through financial aid, we have opened the gates of universities and colleges to the children of workers and the poor.

And we are investing in the skills, the enterprises and the opportunities that turn the potential of young South Africans into meaningful livelihoods.

We have made great progress in returning the land to its original owners through our land restitution process. We have undertaken extensive redistribution of white-owned agricultural land to black farmers. We have given many rural dwellers security of tenure.

Despite this progress, this work is not complete. We are committed to continue until we can say with confidence that the land belongs to all who work it and need it.

This is what freedom has built. 

The Milestones of Freedom programme is a recommitment. It calls us to the work that remains. 

It calls us to grow an economy that includes everyone, not only the few. 

To achieve this, we are removing the obstacles to investment, fixing our energy supply, rebuilding our ports and railways, and backing the small businesses and entrepreneurs who create the most jobs. 

An economy that is inclusive and growing – that reaches every township and village – is the surest instrument we have against poverty. 

 An economy that creates jobs, particularly for young people, is the greatest guarantor of a secure and prosperous future. 

We continue to expand the pathways from the classroom to the workplace.

We are strengthening our partnerships with business, labour and civil society so that no young South African is left to wait, year after year, for a chance that never comes. 

We are intensifying the fight against poverty and hunger, protecting the most vulnerable while creating the job opportunities that allow families to stand on their own. 

We are focused on the education that shapes a child's destiny.

We are investing in early learning, lifting the quality of our schools and equipping our young people for the world they will inherit. 

And we are building a health system that serves all our people, ensuring that access to quality health care is never again determined by a person’s ability to pay. 

We are working to confront crime and corruption without fear or favour, because South Africans deserve to feel safe in their homes and on their streets. 

We are rebuilding our police, our prosecution service and all our law enforcement institutions.

We are pursuing those who stole from the people, because money looted through corruption is money taken from a clinic, a classroom, a child. 

We are building a capable, ethical state that serves the people, a state where public representatives and officials understand that they are there to serve citizens. 

We do this work in a spirit of partnership. 

The milestones we honour this year were made by ordinary people, working together, who decided that they would not rely on others to determine their fate. 

That is the spirit we must rekindle. Freedom is not a monument we visit once a year. 

It is a responsibility we carry every day. 

So today we issue a call to activism, a call to service, a call to participate.

This is a call to all of us, to volunteer in a school, to mentor a young person, to clean a street, to grow a business. 

It is a call to serve on a school governing body, to report corruption, to prevent violence against women.

It is a call to vote in every election and to hold to account those that are elected into public office. 

This is a call to register to vote this weekend, on the 20th and 21st of June.

If we are to honour those who came before us, we should all of us be active participants in the National Dialogue that is taking place across the country.

We must attend the public dialogues that are going to take place in our wards, in our sectors and in our organisations. 

We should add our voice to the millions of people who will be charting a new way forward for our country.

This nation belongs to all of us, and it will be only as strong, as just and as free as we are willing to make it. 

As we launch the Milestones of Freedom, let us hold all four of these anniversaries in our hands at once: the women, the children and the dispossessed and the Constitution that turned their dreams into a promise of a better future. 

We are the inheritors of their courage. We are the keepers of their dream. 

And we are, every one of us, the authors of what South Africa will become. 

Let us, together, build the South Africa of which our forebears dared to dream, united in our diversity, equal in our dignity and free at last. 

May God bless South Africa.
Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso. 
God seën Suid-Afrika. 
Mudzimu fhatutshedza Afurika.
Hosi katekisa Afrika.

I thank you.
 

The Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Ms Nonceba Mhlauli, will on Friday, 19 June 2026, present the Quarter 4 Progress Report of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), providing an update on Government’s efforts to create pathways to earning opportunities for young people across South Africa.

The media briefing will outline the progress made during the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year and highlight the impact of the PYEI in connecting young people to work opportunities, entrepreneurship support, skills development programmes, and work-readiness initiatives.

The briefing will also reflect on key partnerships that continue to drive innovation and expand opportunities for youth participation in the economy.

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

Date: Friday, 19 June 2026
Time: 13h00
Venue: GCIS Media Centre, Hatfield, Pretoria

Media enquiries: Sandile Dayi on 072 667 0757

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

President Cyril Ramaphosa has today, 17 June 2026, convened a meeting with religious and interfaith leaders at the Union Buildings, Pretoria, to discuss migration and the national dialogue. The meeting follows the government’s announcement of comprehensive measures to manage migration. 

South Africa has recently experienced a wave of anti-illegal migration protest. South Africans from every walk of life have raised concerns about migration, and illegal immigration in particular. 

These concerns arise in conditions of persistently high unemployment, poverty and hardship. They arise in communities that are plagued by crime, violence and corruption – and where there is increasing pressure on public services.

President Ramaphosa emphasised that illegal immigration is not the cause of South Africa’s social and economic difficulties.

“To tackle the challenges our country faces, we need faster and more inclusive growth, investment and the creation of jobs. We need to strengthen our efforts to tackle poverty and hunger. We must build safer communities by addressing the causes of crime, improving policing and ending corruption.

Migration is not the cause of our problems, but it is something that we must manage constructively and collectively, always holding firm to our Constitutional principles and shared values.”

President Ramaphosa called on the religious and interfaith leaders to work together with government and other social partners to ensure that people’s frustration is never turned into hatred, and that the stranger among us is met with the dignity that all our faith and traditions demand.

“We must demonstrate that there is a better way to manage these genuine concerns – a way that builds cohesion in communities and strengthens the bonds between us”, said President Ramaphosa.

National Dialogue:
President Ramaphosa added the importance of the National Dialogue, which together with the issue migration touches on the values that binds all South Africans as a nation and the shared responsibility to build a better future for the people of South Africa.

President Ramaphosa highlighted the vital role of the faith communities in the success of the National Dialogue and the need to ensure genuine inclusivity of the process.

“Faith communities are vital to this endeavour, for you reach into every village, township and suburb. The National Dialogue continues our proud tradition of coming together to confront our challenges, to build consensus and to chart a course for the future. At every defining moment in our history, we have found our way forward through dialogue with one another."

The National Dialogue is a people-led process that unfolds from local dialogue to national gatherings, through which all South Africans are able to define a vision and plan for our country.”, said President Ramaphosa.

The religious and interfaith leaders welcomed the government’s five pillars of managing migration comprehensively. 

The five pillars are:
1. Enforcement of migration laws
2. Securing South Africa’s borders 
3 Strengthening of immigration systems 
4. Closing the gaps in the laws and policies 
5. Working with sister African countries through diplomatic channels 

President Ramaphosa on behalf of the government expressed his appreciation to the religious and interfaith leaders for their response and inputs presented in the meeting. Amongst issues raised by religious and interfaith leaders is the strengthening of law enforcement to respond to cases of vigilantism, amplification of government communications, enhancement of diplomatic interventions and engagement and attendance to the pending situation in Sherwood, Durban in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. 

In response to the situation in Sherwood, Durban, the Department of Home Affairs has begun deportation proceedings through dedicated priority courts that are enabling the accelerated processing of Malawian nationals seeking to leave the country. This is due to a lack of capacity on the Malawian government-initiated repatriation of its citizens.The department of Social Development will also be mobilising resources to assist with providing relief. 
  

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile, today Wednesday, 17 June 2026, convened a special meeting with the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders, led by Kgosi Seathlolo, together with the Inter‑Ministerial Committee on Migration, chaired by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi.

The meeting reaffirmed Government’s commitment to the Comprehensive Approach for Migration Management, introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa. 

This five‑pillar plan seeks to curb irregular migration, strengthen border security, and enforce labour and immigration laws, while upholding constitutional values and human dignity.

A detailed presentation was delivered by the Director‑General in the Presidency, Ms Phindile Baleni, outlining the work being undertaken to resolve the challenges posed by undocumented migrants. The presentation emphasized coordinated government action, improved border management, and lawful enforcement measures that respect both sovereignty and human rights.

Traditional leaders highlighted their critical role as custodians of heritage and guardians of community integrity, particularly in rural and borderland communities. 

In this regard, they have pledged to continue supporting efforts to register businesses, keep records of foreign nationals, and mediate tensions in communities affected by migration pressures.

The meeting expressed strong support for the President’s call to implement the five‑pillar plan, noting that migration must be managed in a way that protects South Africa’s sovereignty while strengthening democracy and fostering social cohesion.

Deputy President Mashatile underscored that migration is part of South Africa’s historical and contemporary story, and must be addressed with firmness, fairness, and compassion. Guided by the spirit of Ubuntu, he emphasized that migration should unite rather than divide communities, contributing to a South Africa that is safe, inclusive, and prosperous.

Media enquiries: Mr Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President on 066 195 8840

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

Ministers,
Religious leaders,
Colleagues and Friends,

It is my honour to welcome you to this meeting, which gives us an opportunity to reflect on matters that are important to the life of our country and the progress of our people. 

The faith community in our country has always been more than a place of worship. It has provided moral guidance and spiritual sustenance to our people. 

Over many decades, our faith community has shown deep care about the conditions in which our people live and has worked for peace, justice and equality.

It is in that spirit that we meet today, to reflect together upon two matters: the challenge of migration and our National Dialogue.

Although they may appear to be distinct issues, they both touch on the values that bind us together as a nation and the shared responsibility we have to build a better future for the people of South Africa.

Allow me to begin with migration. 

Over recent months, South Africans from every walk of life have raised concerns about migration, and illegal immigration in particular. 

These concerns are real. They need to be heard and to be addressed. 

These concerns arise in conditions of persistently high unemployment, poverty and hardship. They arise in communities that are plagued by crime, violence and corruption – and where there is increasing pressure on public services.

Yet illegal immigration is not the cause of our social and economic difficulties. 

To tackle the challenges our country faces, we need faster and more inclusive growth, investment and the creation of jobs. 

We need to strengthen our efforts to tackle poverty and hunger. 

We must build safer communities by addressing the causes of crime, improving policing and ending corruption.

Migration is not the cause of our problems, but it is something that we must manage constructively and collectively, always holding firm to our Constitutional principles and shared values.

That is why I addressed the nation on Sunday, the 7th of June, to outline the Comprehensive Approach to Migration Management that Cabinet has adopted.

In that address, I noted that our nation is itself a product of migration. 

Yet every person within our borders must be here lawfully.

I said that responsibility for enforcing our laws rests with the state, and that no individual may stop another to demand documentation or proof of nationality.

I said that no matter how frustrated people may be, there is no place for racism, sexism, xenophobia, Afrophobia or any other form of intolerance.

The comprehensive approach adopted by Cabinet rests upon five pillars.

Firstly, we are cracking down on violations of immigration, labour and other laws.

Secondly, we are securing our borders.

Thirdly, we are strengthening our immigration system by rooting out corruption and deploying advanced technology.

Fourthly, we are closing the gaps in our laws and policies.

Fifthly, we are working with our sister countries through SADC and the African Union to address the conditions that compel people to migrate.

Through these actions, we will demonstrate that we can protect our borders while protecting human dignity. 

We can enforce our laws while upholding our Constitution. 

We can secure our communities while preserving the values of Ubuntu. 

This is a responsibility that falls to all of us. And the faith community has a particularly important role to play.

When fear and anger rise, it is so often the voice of the pulpit, the mosque, the temple and the synagogue that can call our people back to compassion. 

Together, we must work to ensure that frustration is never turned into hatred, and that the stranger among us is met with the dignity that all our faith traditions demand.

We must demonstrate that there is a better way to manage these genuine concerns – a way that builds cohesion in communities and strengthens the bonds between us.

The second issue I would like to address is the National Dialogue. 

The National Dialogue continues our proud tradition of coming together to confront our challenges, to build consensus and to chart a course for the future.
 
At every defining moment in our history, we have found our way forward through dialogue with one another. 

The National Dialogue is a people-led process that unfolds from local dialogue to national gatherings, through which all South Africans are able to define a vision and plan for our country.

For this Dialogue to carry legitimacy, it must be genuinely inclusive. 

It must be a place where every voice is heard and real solutions are found. 

Faith communities are vital to this endeavour, for you reach into every village, township and suburb. 

You speak to conscience and to values in a manner that many others cannot. 

The National Dialogue will inevitably touch the wounds of our nation, and the faith community is ideally placed to help heal these wounds through prayer and practical service.

I therefore invite you to be partners, participants and guarantors of the National Dialogue process.

There are many challenges facing our nation. But we can address them together.

Together, we can build a South Africa that is secure, lawful, compassionate and prosperous, one that upholds the dignity of every person and fulfils the promise of our democracy.

Thank you again for your attendance and I look forward to our discussion.

I thank you.
 

Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile will on Thursday, 18 June 2026 respond to Questions for Oral Reply in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament, Cape Town.

In his capacity as Chairperson of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cabinet Committee and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, the Deputy President will apprise the NCOP on measures in place to detect and prevent corruption in the South African Police Service (SAPS) as well as corrective actions by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in light of the proceedings in the Madlanga Commission.

The Deputy President will further update the House on mechanisms in place to  assess progress of One Plans of the District Development Model in 16 District and Metropolitan Municipalities, monitoring the top five catalytic projects in each One Plan.

Other questions to the Deputy President raised by Delegates to the NCOP include his recent oversight visit to the Cape Flats to assess progress on the implementation of Operation Prosper; Government’s response to the escalating challenge of illegal migration; land reform programme, and the National Water Security Plan.

Details of the sitting are as follows:

Date: Thursday, 18 June 2026
Time: 14h00
Venue: NCOP Old Assembly Chamber, Parliament, Cape Town

The Q&A Session will be streamed live on the Parliamentary Channel 408 and Parliamentary YouTube channel.

 

Media enquiries: Mr Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President, on 066 195 8840

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria