Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will later today, Friday  20 March 2015 depart for Windhoek where he will represent President Jacob Zuma,   the government and people of South Africa at the inauguration ceremony of Namibia’s President–elect Dr Hage Geingob scheduled for tomorrow,   Saturday 21 March 2015.

President Zuma will be attending and addressing the official funeral of the late Minister of Public Service and Administration Collins Chabane   who will be laid to rest at his home town of Xikundu in the Limpopo province on Saturday 21 March 2015.

Deputy President Ramaphosa will be supported by Minister of International Relations and Co-Operation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and South Africa’s High Commissioner to Namibia.

South Africa enjoys cordial bilateral relations with Namibia, fashioned in the theatre of struggle against apartheid and colonialism. These relations were consolidated into state-to-state relations following the decolonialisation of Namibia in 1990 and the dawn of peace, freedom and justice in South Africa in 1994.

Deputy President Ramaphosa will return back home later on Saturday 21 March 2015.

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa at 082 990 4853 or Clayson Monyela on 082 806 7405

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will later today, Friday 20 March 2015 host a meeting with leaders of the business sector at the Union Buildings, Pretoria to brief them about government interventions to turn-around Eskom arising from his cabinet mandate

The meeting will also be attended by various government Ministers, technical experts based at the government’s war room as well as members of the Eskom Advisory Panel appointed by Deputy President Ramaphosa to advise him on challenges facing Eskom

The Advisory Panel comprises, Prof Anthon Eberhard, Ms Dolly Mokgatle, Ms Sy Gourah, Mr Smunda Mokoena, Mr Derick Elbrecht and Mr Bobby Godsell.

The Deputy President believes that there is no short-cut to the challenges facing Eskom, Accordingly there is a need to develop short, medium and long-term solutions that are independently verifiable by people with expert knowledge in the energy sector.

In pursuance of this objective it is critical that all sectors of our society are mobilised behind the government programme to deal with challenges of electricity while creating a platform for all sectors including business to make a meaningful contribution in helping the country move out of the current electricity challenges.

Media are invited as follows:

Arrival time: 10h30 for 10h45

Time for photo-opp: 11h00

Date: Friday 20 March 2015

Venue: Room 108, Union Buildings, Pretoria

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa 082 990 4853 or Tyrone Seale 083 575 7440 or Terrence Manase 073 904 1549

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

Windhoek - South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa today, Friday  20 March 2015 arrived in Windhoek ahead of the scheduled inauguration of Namibia’s President-elect Dr. Hage Geingob. Deputy President ,will  represent President Jacob Zuma, the government and people of South Africa at the inauguration ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 21 March 2015.

President Zuma will be attending and addressing the official funeral of the late Minister of Public Service and Administration Collins Chabane who   will be laid to rest at his home town of Xikundu in the Limpopo province on Saturday 21 March 2015.

Deputy President Ramaphosa will be supported by Minister of International Relations and Co-Operation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and South Africa’s High Commissioner to Namibia.

South Africa enjoys strategic political and economic relations with Namibia. Relations between the peoples of the two countries were fashioned in the theatre of struggle against apartheid and colonialism. These relations were consolidated into state-to-state relations following the decolonialisation of Namibia in 1990 and the dawn of peace, freedom and justice in South Africa in 1994.

Deputy President Ramaphosa is expected to  return to South Africa later tomorrow Saturday 21 March 2015.

For more information contact Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853 or Tyrone Seale on 083 575 7440.

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

Klerksdorp - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday, 24 March 2015, address the commemoration of World TB Day and launch a massive National TB Screening Campaign in Kanana near Klerksdorp, North West Province.

During the 2015 World TB Day commemorations, the government and all its social partners will focus on strengthening the response to TB, focusing on key populations, particularly in mining and peri-mining communities.

The World TB Day 2015 with the theme, “Ending South Africa’s TB epidemic: Accelerating our Response in Key Populations”, also aims at raising awareness and knowledge of TB amongst communities in general, as one of the core strategies of government in the fight against TB.

In addition, childhood TB will also receive special attention, especially among children attending Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres

Media are invited as follows:

Time: 08h00

Venue: Kanana Stadium, Klerksdorp North West Province.

Date: 24 March 2015

The Programme:

08h00: Visit to Anglo Ashanti (Village Square)

09h00: Dialogue (Deputy President to interact with parents, minders and teachers of ECD centre)

Venue: Retswelapele ECD centre

11h00: Formal programme at Kanana Stadium

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa: 082 990 4853

Please rsvp with Nthabiseng Rantau-Machiya: 082 570 5503

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

The Presidency has noted media reports about Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with Business Leadership South Africa in Pretoria on Friday 20 March 2015 regarding Eskom.

In this regard, the Presidency wishes to put it on record that the meeting was held at the request of Business Leadership South Africa with a view to helping government to address difficulties arising from the constrained supply of electricity, as well as issues affecting Eskom.

A media statement issued after last Friday’s meeting made it clear that the interaction with Business Leadership South Africa was one of a series that Deputy President Ramaphosa would hold with key stakeholders to address challenges facing Eskom.

In pursuance of this objective, Deputy President Ramaphosa will provide feedback on War Room interventions at Eskom to the NEDLAC social partners soon.

The War Room on Eskom  has held several meetings with stakeholders including Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), which counts the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry among its members. The War Room will continue meeting with stakeholders and welcomes suggestions from all sectors regarding the way forward on Eskom.

The War Room is charged with the responsibility of implementing the five-point plan to deal with electricity challenges. In the spirit of working together, Deputy President Ramaphosa has appointed a six-member independent panel of experts to advise him on current challenges facing Eskom and to develop proposals for a way forward.

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa 082 990 4853

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

Cape Town - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver oral replies to questions from members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) tomorrow, Wednesday 25 March 2015 in the NCOP chambers, parliament, Cape Town. Questions on the order paper include among others:

1. Whether the government has considered the impact of the recent proliferation of attacks against nationals in government’s attempts to foster social cohesion in our communities

2.  Whether any progress has been made to date by the technical war room established by cabinet in December 2014 regarding the 5-point plan devised as a turn-around strategy for Eskom to address the energy crisis in South Africa.

3. Whether processes have resumed to establish the SA Development Partnership Agency as envisaged by the 8th Session of the German-South Africa Binational Commission held in Berlin in 2012

4. Whether SA has signed any bilateral agreements with Russia, what the details are regarding the nuclear power agreements between the two countries

5.  Whether the government has signed or is currently negotiating any bilateral engagements with any countries on energy co-operation and partnerships

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa 082 990 4853

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

The Office of the Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa wishes to correct the erroneous impression created by a report on Fin24.com suggesting that Medupi power station will be in full operation by June 2015.

Answering questions in the National Council of Provinces yesterday, Wednesday March 25 2015, Deputy President Ramaphosa stated that Unit 6 at Medupi was expected to be fully operational by June this year, adding 800 MW to the national grid.

Regrettably, Fin24 related this update to Medupi as a whole - which is only expected to be running at full load in 2020 - instead of Unit 6 only, as Deputy President Ramaphosa had stated.

Unit 6 is currently producing power while continuing with verification tests to ensure optimal tests. The unit is operated at various load levels to do tests. By end June the unit is contracted to produce the full 800MW on a continuous basis.

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa 082 990 4853

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria

Maseru - SADC Facilitator and South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will visit the Kingdom of Lesotho where he is expected to   participate in a ceremony to close down the SADC Facilitation Mission on Monday 30 March 2015 in Maseru.

The ceremony which will witness the lowering of the SADC Flag and the official closing down of the SADC Facilitation Mission will be addressed   by the Facilitator, Deputy President Ramaphosa, Lesotho’s Prime Minister Phakalitha Mosisili and SADC Executive Secretary Dr Stergomena   Lawrence Tax.

The closing ceremony marks the end of the facilitation mission following the successful SADC intervention which culminated in the recently held elections declared credible, free and fair by elections observers. The elections arose from provisions of the Maseru Facilitation Accord signed by all Lesotho’s political parties as part of efforts to create political stability in the country. 

On the other hand, the law enforcement agencies signed the Maseru Security Accord which resulted in the taking of leave of absence by three senior Defence and Police officers which created a climate for the stabilisation of the security situation in Lesotho.

Even though the SADC Facilitation mission offices will be closed down on Monday 30 March 2015, the SADC Double Troika Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation  held in Pretoria early this year urged all Lesotho’s political role-players to focus their attention, post the elections, on the constitutional and security sector reforms.

In this regard, SADC has committed itself to continue to assist the people of Lesotho in this process by making available expertise from member-states.

Deputy President Ramaphosa is expected to return to South Africa on Tuesday 31 March 2015.

For more information contact Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853.

Issued on behalf of the SADC Facilitation Mission

Maseru - SADC Facilitator and South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa today, Monday 30 March 2015 arrived in the Kingdom of Lesotho ahead of the official closure of the SADC Facilitation Mission and offices scheduled for later today at the SADC offices, Tona-Kholo Road   in Maseru.  

Ahead of the ceremony today, Monday 30 March 2015 the Facilitator is expected to meet the Prime Minister Phakalitha Mosisili, former Prime Minister and will pay a courtesy call on His Majesty King Letsie III on Tuesday 31 March 2015.

The SADC ceremony later today will witness the lowering of the SADC Flag and the official closing down of the SADC Facilitation Mission offices and will be addressed by the Facilitator, Deputy President Ramaphosa, Lesotho’s Prime Minister Phakalitha Mosisili and SADC Executive Secretary Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax.

The closing ceremony marks the end of the facilitation mission following the successful SADC intervention which culminated in the recently held elections declared credible, free and fair by elections observers. The elections arose from provisions of the Maseru Facilitation Accord signed by all Lesotho’s political parties and facilitated by Deputy President Ramaphosa as part of efforts to create political stability in the country.

In addition, the law enforcement agencies signed the Maseru Security Accord which resulted in the taking of leave of absence by three senior Defence and Police officers which created a climate for the stabilisation of the security situation in Lesotho.

Even though the SADC Facilitation mission offices will be closed down on Monday 30 March 2015, the SADC Double Troika Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation held in Pretoria early this year urged all Lesotho’s political role-players to focus their attention, post the elections, on the constitutional and security sector reforms. In this regard, SADC has committed itself to continue to assist the people of Lesotho in this process by making available expertise from member-states.

Deputy President Ramaphosa is expected to return to South Africa on Tuesday 31 March 2015.

Media is invited as follows to the closure of the SADC Facilitation Mission

Date: Today, Monday 30 March 2015.

Time: 16h00

Venue: SADC House (Tona-Kholo Road)

For more information contact Ronnie Mamoepa on +2782 990 4853 or Lesego Setshedi on +26 658 868 653.

Issued on behalf of the SADC Facilitation Mission

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa led a delegation of ministers and deputy ministers that met with NEDLAC social partners at the Union Buildings, Pretoria, today, Thursday 2 April 2015. The meeting was convened to brief the NEDLAC social partners on government efforts to   secure the country’s electricity supply.

The meeting was the latest in a series of consultations by the Electricity War Room Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), led by Deputy President Ramaphosa, with various sectors to develop a common understanding of the electricity supply challenge and invite comment and solutions.

Government briefed the NEDLAC partners on progress made by the IMC in implementing the five point action plan approved by Cabinet to develop immediate and short term interventions to manage the electricity supply and demand situation.

The NEDLAC social partners welcomed the invitation to be briefed on government efforts through the War room to address current electricity challenges. The meeting received proposals from Business Unity South Africa, the Black Business Council, Cosatu, Fedusa, Nactu and community representatives on addressing electricity challenges.

Business, labour and community undertook to work with government to restore public and business confidence in Eskom and in the economy.

Deputy President Ramaphosa said: “We are seeking sustainable ways to stabilise Eskom and the national grid, and advance energy efficiency in our country; we want to return Eskom to optimal technical capability so that it can carry on doing what it does best.

“We also want to ensure that the governance processes and structures within Eskom are on a sound footing. We know that Eskom has leadership and governance challenges. We are taking steps to address these challenges.”

Deputy President Ramaphosa said that the current electricity challenge affected all sectors of society and needed to be addressed collectively.

Deputy President Ramaphosa invited the NEDLAC social partners to collaborate with government in developing solutions. All constituencies committed themselves to working with government and Eskom on a national energy efficiency campaign and efforts to restore public confidence in Eskom.

For more information contact Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853.

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria