President Cyril Ramaphosa has, as Commander-in-Chief of the nation’s armed forces, expressed his sadness at the death of six soldiers who died in a Northern Cape fire that struck the SA Army Combat Training Centre at the Lohatla military base. The troops were part of a military exercise named Vukuhlome.

The South African National Defence Force announced on Saturday, 07 October that a wildfire that had originated in Khathu in the Gamagara local municipality had reached the military base where six soldiers died in the blaze while three were injured and the army lost equipment including vehicles.

President Ramaphosa offers his deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the deceased SANDF members.

The President wishes the injured SANDF members a speedy and comfortable recovery and his thoughts are with survivors who witnessed this tragedy.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Your Excellency, President Dr Hage Geingob,
Honourable Ministers,
High Commissioner, 
Senior Officials,
Members of the media from Namibia and South Africa,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning.

Your Excellency President Geingob, thank you for receiving us in Windhoek. 

We are pleased that we have been able to honour your invitation to come to Namibia following your own visit to South Africa in April this year. 

The convening of the 3rd South Africa Namibia Bi-National Commission has afforded us the perfect opportunity to exchange views on issues impacting our countries.

We meet to discuss issues of mutual interest at a time when events far beyond our borders have left us shaken and deeply troubled.

The escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lays bare the devastation and suffering that results when the international, rules-based order is disregarded. 

We are deeply concerned about the targeting of civilians, the destruction of homes, the displacement of thousands of people, the deprivation of basic services and denial of access to humanitarian aid.

South Africa has called for the urgent cessation of hostilities to avoid further carnage and for favourable conditions for dialogue to be created. 

We have reaffirmed our support for a viable Palestinian state, existing side-by-side with Israel, and within the 1967 internationally accepted borders. 

We are all too aware that failure to fully implement various United Nations resolutions and decisions have played a major part in the resurgence of hostilities. 

As countries that ascribe to the tenets of progressive internationalism, we remain firm on our commitment to a world free from violence, conflict, misery and want.

We must do what we can to support reconciliation and peace.

The Bi-National Commission between South Africa and Namibia is an important structured mechanism for the pursuit of our shared future. 

I commend our respective Ministers and senior officials for their hard work in preparing for this Bi-National Commission.

I am told that there has been progress in implementing certain decisions since your State Visit to South Africa earlier this year, one of which is the audit of our legal instruments.

It is important that we track the implementation of the various legal instruments between our countries, and address impediments as and when they arise. 

We look forward to the Business Forum that is taking place on the margins of this Bi-National Commission.

Deepening investment and trade between South Africa and Namibia is a priority. 

We need to expedite the establishment of the proposed South Africa-Nambia Business Council because there are substantial trade and investment opportunities in both countries. 

We welcome your invitation to cooperate with Namibia in the energy sector, including in oil, gas and green hydrogen. 

We are confident that Namibia’s recent hydrocarbon discoveries will contribute to job creation, industrialisation and energy security. 

We must take advantage of several energy projects in our respective countries that hold promise for cross-border collaboration.

The same holds true for cooperation around water security. 

South Africa, Nambia and much of the continent is being negatively affected by extreme weather caused by climate change.

The Orange River is an integral part of trilateral collaboration with the government of Lesotho to successfully implement Phase Two of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.

On intra-African trade and continental economic integration, the African Continental Free Trade Area will contribute to greater self-reliance and the sustainability of our economic development endeavours.

The extraction of raw materials for export from our continent without beneficiation has had a detrimental effect on the development of our people. 

We need to step up efforts to build manufacturing capacity and beneficial regional and continental value chains. 

South Africa and Nambia continue to collaborate at bilateral and multilateral levels to ensure there is sustainable peace in the region and beyond.

Alongside regional partners, we are playing our part in combating terrorism and extremism in Northern Mozambique. It is critical that this situation is resolved with urgency so that those who have been displaced will be able to return to their homes and their livelihoods and the process of reconstruction can commence.

As African countries we are also playing our part in supporting peacebuilding efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where conflict in the country’s east continues to cause untold hardship and destruction.

The achievement of the Africa We Want as articulated in the African Union’s Agenda 2063 requires that we reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism and the strengthening of institutions of global governance.

As South Africa and Namibia we reaffirm our calls for the reform of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, and for reform of the entire global financial architecture. 

As progressive internationalists we are united behind the cause of the people of Western Sahara and their quest for self-determination. 

We reiterate the importance of the declaration and commitments of the SADC Solidarity Conference with Western Sahara that we co-hosted in March 2019. We must ensure that these are fully implemented.

It is disheartening that most UN resolutions on the referendum for Western Sahara are not being implemented. Now, more than ever, we need institutions of global governance that are responsive, progressive and representative.

With these few words, I thank you once again Your Excellency for your warm welcome and hospitality and look forward to our engagement today.

I thank you.

Minister in The Presidency, Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni,
Honourable Ministers,
Members of Parliament,
Statistician-General, Mr Risenga Maluleke,
Chairperson of the Statistics Council, Professor David Everatt,
Members of the Statistics Council,
Distinguished Guests,

It is a great honour to receive the results of Census 2022.

This is the fourth census undertaken since the advent of democracy in 1994, and, as such, it contributes to a vast body of knowledge that describes the state and the progress of our nation.

We applaud the magnitude of effort that went into compiling Census 2022.

We have been told that the enumerators from Statistics South Africa first began their tests in 2018. In the midst of their work, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Confronted by pandemic restrictions on the movement of people, Stats SA was innovative and adapted quickly.

Having decided in 2018 to develop multiple data-collection methods, including computer-assisted telephonic interviews and online self-enumeration options, Stats SA introduced complete digitisation of the entire census process.

As a result, we were able to undertake our census just four months after the initial date of October 2021.

Adapting to the fluid situation on the ground meant that data collection processes had to be rapidly modernised.

As a result, this is South Africa’s first-ever digital census, compiled from data collected from everyone within the borders of the country.

A census is one of the most complex exercises a nation can undertake.

It involves years of preparation and planning.

It is a tough task for enumerators, who have to traverse the country counting people in households, hospitals, prisons and other institutions, the homeless and people in transit at our borders.

A census involves collating, aggregating and publishing complex demographic, health, economic and sociological data sets.

Statistics South Africa must be commended for placing an absolute premium on the credibility and integrity of the data, and adhering to international best practice.

It is important that South Africans have the utmost confidence in the numbers that have been presented today, and will therefore welcome the statement by the Statistics Council on the results.

The data contained in a census is one of the most crucial planning, monitoring and evaluation tools for governments.

It informs the planning, budgeting and policy-making work of government at the most fundamental level.

We have long said that one of our priorities in building a capable, ethical, developmental state is to ensure that policy making is evidence-driven.

Policy making that is not informed by accurate data can result in inefficiency in the allocation of resources, under-estimation of the needs of citizens, poorly planned programmes and poor financial management.

Unless we are able to see the bigger picture, we are unable to forecast.

Census 2022 gives us the information we need to implement government’s programme of action in a targeted, evidence-driven manner.

We encouraged by the progress in the report presented by the Statistician-General.

We note, for example, that the number of people older than 20 with no education has significantly decreased, where the number of people who now have grade 12 has more than doubled since 1996.

It is significant also that a large proportion of our children are now in early childhood development centres. We still have work to do to ensure all eligible children attend ECD centres.

The presentation shows that people’s housing circumstances have  improved, with almost 90 percent of South Africans now staying in formal housing.

Despite the present challenges of load shedding, which we are urgently addressing, we should be encouraged by the almost universal access to electricity supply.

The results that have been presented here today underscore the urgency with which we must work towards meeting the aspirations of the National Development Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Census 2022 has told us where we are making progress, but it has also laid bare the challenges that remain.

Census 2022 will be an invaluable tool in meeting those challenges.

I salute the people of South Africa who participated in Census 2022. It is through the responses that they gave via the different platforms of enumeration that we are able to release these results today.

We thank the census enumerators for their hard work, as well as the members of the Statistics Council for their quality statement on the results that they have declared to be fit for use.

I congratulate the Statistician-General, Mr Risenga Maluleke and all the Stats SA teams for ensuring that we have a credible census.

Let me conclude by calling on government departments, policy makers, researchers, civil society organisations and international organisations to use this information abundantly as we collectively strive to improve people’s lives.

We now have the information we need to ensure that as we build this country, we leave no-one behind.

I thank you.

Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi,
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Thandi Modise,
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor,
MEC for the Limpopo Provincial Treasury, Mr Seaparo Sekoati,
Commissioner of the Border Management Authority, Dr Nakampe Masiapato,
Officials,
Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon

We are gathering here today to witness the fulfilment of a commitment to establish a single, integrated and efficient authority to manage and secure the borders of the Republic.

As South Africans, we seek to live in peace and harmony with each other and with our neighbours. We seek a better life, free from fear and want.

When our country’s ports of entry and borders are well-protected and well-managed, we are able to prevent the illegal importation and exit of goods.

We are able to facilitate lawful trade at a greater scale and more efficiently. This is becoming increasingly important as we work with other countries in our region and elsewhere on the continent to increase intra-African trade.

We see the Border Management Authority as a vital link in our efforts to harness the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

A more secure border is important for curbing illegal migration, human smuggling and trafficking. It will help in combating cross-border crime.

The Constitution declares that South Africa belongs to all who live in it.

All citizens have the right to enter, to remain in and reside anywhere in the Republic.

As is the case in every sovereign country, foreign nationals who seek refuge or wish to live and work in South Africa are subject to immigration laws and regulations.

The Border Management Authority is tasked to ensure that the country’s immigration laws and regulations are upheld and enforced.

The Border Management Authority was established in response to a number of serious challenges.

One of these challenges is the increase in the number of undocumented foreign nationals entering our country. This has exacerbated many of the country’s social and economic problems.

The movement of persons and goods at ports of entry has often not been as efficient as it should be, resulting in unnecessary delays and increased costs for individuals and companies. This in turn is harming our economy.

Deficiencies in border management have also enabled corruption and organised and cross-border crime to thrive.

We have faced a problem of fragmentation of powers, responsibility and accountability.

Since 1994 the country’s border management has been exercised by different government departments and state agencies, often implementing their respective mandates in isolation.

Lack of coordination and inadequate information-sharing between various management and enforcement authorities have rendered our borders vulnerable.

The Border Management Authority will provide a sustainable solution to the structural challenges of border security, control and coordination.

It will be a new model of integration of functions, roles and responsibilities in the broader law enforcement environment.

The Border Management Authority is expected to tackle the challenges of congestion, procedural delays, long transit times, lack of predictability and high logistics costs.

I commend the Border Management Authority for the speed with which it has already commenced its work.

Earlier today, I visited the Beit Bridge Border Post with my counterpart from Zimbabwe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, and we agreed that the establishment of the Border Management Authority will be an important tool for the development of the region.

It will form part of integrating border management activities in the SADC region as we implement the African Continental Free Trade Area. We will be able to work towards eradicating various forms of red tape that are hindering trade, investment and the movement of persons.

The Border Management Authority will be redeveloping six ports of entries as one-stop-border-posts. This approach will improve efficiency at land border crossings by combining the stops required for processing exit and entry formalities.

In July, we saw the deployment of the first officers of the border guard of the Border Management Authority at vulnerable segments of the border line, including the informal community crossing points.

While the border guard will be conducting border law enforcement functions, including access control, the South African National Defence Force remains responsible for border protection and safeguarding.

The border guard will interface with the nearest police station with regards to the occurrence of a crime at a port of entry.

The Border Management Authority is now the third armed service in South Africa after the South African National Defence Force and the South African Police Service.

It is mandated to perform border management functions within ports of entry as well as the law enforcement area.

The Border Management Authority is being established through an incremental approach.

Steps have already been taken to integrate under the Border Management Authority various relevant functions of the departments of Home Affairs, Agriculture, Health, and Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment.

To enable its work, the Border Management Authority has signed implementation protocols with the South African Revenue Service, Police Service and Defence Force.

I congratulate the Border Management Authority Commissioner and his two deputies, who will receive their ranks formally today.

We wish you well.

Ensuring our borders are well-managed and well-protected is key to the security and development of our country. In undertaking this task, please be assured that you have the support and the trust of the people of South Africa.

Let us now move forward with operationalising this authority in pursuit of a safer, more prosperous South Africa.

I thank you.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep sadness at the passing of leading scientist, health policy innovator and longstanding activist, Prof Hoosen Mahomed “Jerry” Coovadia, who has passed away at the age of 83.
 
On behalf of Government and the Nation, the President offers his deepest condolences to Prof Coovadia’s wife, Dr Zubeida Hamed, his son, Prof Imraan Coovadia, and daughter Dr Anuschka Coovadia.
 
President Ramaphosa said: “Jerry Coovadia was an outstanding scientist and committed anti-apartheid campaigner who dedicated himself to our liberation struggle. He also dedicated himself to the physical wellbeing and social inclusion of people all over the world through his enterprising mission as a scientist and architect of public health policies.
 
“His pioneering, globally acclaimed research into mother-to-child transmission of HIV has has rendered an immeasurable legacy to humanity in terms of which persons living with HIV are able to live long and healthy lives subject to early detection and access to treatment.
 
“Our Nation’s loss will be felt globally but we can take pride at and comfort from the emergence of a giant of science and an icon of compassion and resilience from our country.”
 

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday, 05 October 2023, preside over the launch of the Border Management Authority (BMA) in Musina, Limpopo Province.

The launch of the BMA follows its formal establishment and assumption of its status as a schedule 3 (A) public entity on 1 April 2023.

The establishment of the BMA means that South Africa now has an integrated border management platform, with a single command and control with which to support the attainment of secure borders, safe travel and trade.

As part of the launch, President Ramaphosa will receive President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the Republic of Zimbabwe to hold official talks and undertake a guided tour of the Beitbridge border, supported by members of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee (IMCC) on the BMA.

The President will then proceed to officiate the launch of the BMA at the Musina Show Grounds and also handover a Sword to the Commissioner of the BMA to delegate the powers to lead the third law enforcement authority in the Republic.

Accredited members of the media are invited as follows:

Date: Thursday, 05 October 2023
Time: 11h00
Venue: Musina showgrounds, Musina, Limpopo Province 

MEDIA ACCREDITATION COLLECTION

Date: 04 - 05 October 2023
Time: 10h00 to 18h00 (Wednesday) - 07h00 to 09h00 (Thursday)
Venue: Old Council Chambers, Musina Municipal Hall, Musina, Limpopo Province 

IMPORTANT NOTE TO MEDIA: 

Due to limited space, a media pool has been arranged for the tour of Beitbridge Port of Entry. Selected media has been informed.

MEDIA ACCREDITATION PROCESS HAS BEEN FINALISED AND IS NOW CLOSED AS FACILITATED BY GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEM(GCIS).

Media enquiries:

- Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315
- Ms Mmemme Mogotsi, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Marketing and Communications: Border Management Authority on 072 856 4288

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Tuesday, 03 October 2023, receive Letters of Credence from Heads of Mission-Designate at a Credentials Ceremony in Pretoria.
 
Letters of Credence are official diplomatic documents presented to the President by Heads of Mission-designate who have been nominated by their respective governments to serve as ambassadors to South Africa.

President Ramaphosa will receive Heads of Mission-Designate from the following countries: 

1. Republic of Portugal; 
2. Republic of Poland;
3. Jamaica;
4. Republic of Colombia; 
5. Republic of France; 
6. People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria; 
7. Socialist Republic of Vietnam; 
8. Republic of Angola; 
9. Kingdom of Lesotho; 
10. Federative Republic of Brazil;
11. Kingdom of Netherlands; 
12. Republic of India; 
13. Georgia; 
14. Republic of Indonesia; 
15. Kingdom of Denmark; 
16 Ireland;
17. Republic of Tunisia; 
18. Republic of Equatorial Guinea; 
19. Czech Republic; 
20. Republic of Lithuania; 
21. Republic of Zambia, and 
22. Kingdom of Jordan
23. Republic of Estonia
 
Media are invited to cover the credentials ceremony as follows:
 
Date: Tuesday, 03 October 2023
Time: 13h00
Venue: Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House

Media RSVPs can be directed to hlobisile@presidency.gov.za
 

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President - media@presidency.gov.za
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday, 03 October 2023, host South Africa’s national team which excelled at the Special Olympics World Games in Germany in June 2023.

Special Olympics is a global movement of people creating a new world of inclusion and community, where every person is welcomed regardless of ability or disability.

The team brought home a total of 49 medals from Berlin - 22 gold, 20 silver and 7 bronze. 

The interaction with Team South Africa at the Union Buildings is part of President Ramaphosa’s ongoing commitment to encourage and celebrate excellence among South Africa’s sports women and men, and the President’s recognition of the role of sport in unifying the nation and forging social cohesion. 

Members of the media are invited as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 03 October 2023
Time: 09h00
Venue: The Union Buildings

Media RSVP: Members of the media wishing to cover the event are requested to RSVP with Makungu Mbetse  - 079 788 3077 / makungu@presidency.gov.za on or before Monday, 02 October 2023 at 12h00.

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that the late former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad will be honoured with a Special Official Funeral Category 2 tomorrow, Saturday 30 September 2023.

Mr Pahad passed away on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, at the age of 82.

President Ramaphosa has extended his deepest condolences to the extended Pahad family who have in short succession lost Mr Aziz Pahad and his brother, former Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad, who passed away in July 2023.

The South African Police Service will provide ceremonial elements during the funeral service for the former Deputy Minister, which will commence at West Park Cemetery in Johannesburg at 10h00 tomorrow.

President Ramaphosa has directed that flags be flown at half-mast around the country until tomorrow evening.

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sadness at the passing of former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad.

Mr Pahad passed away on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, at the age of 82.

Mr Pahad, who exercised his anti-apartheid activism in the Transvaal Indian Congress and was in exile between 1964 and 1990, served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 2008. Several months after the end of Mr Pahad’s tenure as Deputy Minister, the Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Mr Aziz Pahad’s passing follows that of his brother and former Minister in the Presidency, Essop Pahad, in July 2023.

President Ramaphosa extends his deepest condolences to the extended Pahad family who have in short succession lost two distinguished members who dedicated their lives to serving the nation.

The President said: “Our hearts go out to the Pahad family as they mourn the loss of two brothers and two outstanding servants of our people and our country.

“Aziz Pahad worked for our freedom during his decades in exile in the United Kingdom, Angola and Zambia – a period during which he played a diversity of roles including as a member of the ANC's Revolutionary Council and the Political Military Committee and being part of the ANC negotiating team that secretly met representatives of the apartheid regime and also with leading members of the Afrikaner community.

“It was fitting that, in acknowledgment of his vast experience in international mobilisation against the apartheid regime, Aziz Pahad was appointed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the dawn of our democracy and our reintegration into the global community.

“Aziz Pahad was a consummate diplomat not only in the service of our country but in support of causes for freedom and justice elsewhere in the world, notably advocating the plight of the Palestinian people.

“Endearing of disposition and fierce of principle, he represented our nation with passion and clarity and played a significant role in educating the nation of our early democracy about international relations and South Africa’s role, place and vision in a world which itself undergoing change at that time.

“May his soul rest in peace.”

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – 082 835 6315

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria