The Presidency

Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition in South Africa, Mr Zuko Godlimpi,
Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Mr Chandrajit Banerjee,
Business Leaders, 
Members of the Diplomatic Corps, 
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning and a very warm welcome to this engagement that seeks to strengthen economic ties between India and South Africa.

We are meeting at a time when the global economy is undergoing a significant transformation. 

Supply chains are being reconfigured, industrial policies are being reshaped and the energy transition is accelerating. 

Digital technologies are reshaping industries and emerging markets are driving global growth. 

To thrive amidst this rapid change requires partnership and shared ambition.

India is powering ahead and South Africa is open for business.

South Africa is transforming its economy, undertaking far-reaching changes in our energy, telecommunications, logistics and water sectors.

We have emerged from more than a decade of electricity shortages into a new era of investment and competition.

We are reviving our freight rail system and our ports, enabling the participation of new operators and investing in expanding capacity.

These reforms are focused on reducing the cost of doing business and making our economy more competitive.

We have embarked on the largest infrastructure investment programme in our country’s history, building the capacity of our economy while meeting the needs of our people.

Due to the measures we have taken, the country’s credit rating outlook has improved, inflation has been on a downwards trend and we are on the path to stabilising national debt.

Our investment drive continues to gather pace.

That is why we are delighted that more than 150 Indian companies have collectively invested over $10 billion in South Africa, creating employment for over 18,000 South Africans.

At the same time, a number of leading South African companies have invested in India’s growth.

These include companies such as Naspers, FirstRand Bank, Sanlam and Momentum. 

Today, we have an opportunity to build on the relationship through a focus on investment, trade, exports, innovation, industrial development and sustainable growth. 

This forum provides the private sector with an opportunity to transform policy dialogue into commercially viable projects and long term partnerships. 

There are a few areas where collaboration between our countries holds immense promise.

The first of these areas is in energy transition and green industrialisation.

India and South Africa are both navigating ambitious energy transitions. 

Opportunities exist in renewable energy technologies, green hydrogen, critical minerals, battery value chains and sustainable manufacturing. 

Companies like Vedanta have already established a footprint in the country. 

We believe that other large companies can anchor their investments in South Africa and use it as a base to export into Africa and the rest of the world.

The second area is in mining, critical minerals and beneficiation.

South Africa’s mineral wealth and India’s manufacturing capabilities create the basis for cooperation across critical mineral value chains.

We are committed to the beneficiation of minerals where they are extracted.

There is great potential to partner on the production of new energy vehicles, batteries and other products that draw on our respective capabilities. 

The third area of collaboration is infrastructure and connectivity.

Investment in transport, logistics, ports, digital connectivity, smart cities, and industrial corridors is essential to trade and integration on the African continent. 

Enhanced infrastructure enables businesses to access new markets and participate more effectively in regional and global value chains. 

Last month, South Africa hosted the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium, where we reiterated the importance of reliable energy, adequate water, efficient transport systems and digital connectivity.

South Africa has identified 195 strategic integrated projects across priority industries worth more than $100 billion. 

To support this infrastructure drive, we are investing in project preparation to ensure that all these plans translate into roads, rail corridors, renewable energy plants, transmission lines, water treatment plants and hospitals. 

We have produced our third Construction Book, which provides a national overview of funded projects that are expected to be issued for tender in the next 18 months.

We encourage Indian companies to consider partnerships to participate in these.

The fourth area with great potential is agriculture.

Agriculture is fundamental to economic development and social stability. 

There is great opportunity for collaboration in agro-processing, agricultural technology, food innovation and sustainable farming practices.

This would contribute to stronger supply chains, improved productivity and greater food security in both India and South Africa. 

The fifth area of collaboration is in the digital economy and innovation.

The rapid growth of the digital economy presents exciting opportunities for cooperation in fintech, digital trade, artificial intelligence, innovation ecosystems, cybersecurity and digital skills development. 

Working together, we can harness technology to drive inclusive growth and competitiveness. 

We have already seen this in action.

Just a few weeks ago, Atain – a global business services company headquartered in India – opened a new site in Cape Town that will see it increase its local workforce from 1,500 to over 2,000 young South Africans.

The final area of cooperation that we wish to highlight is in human capital and institutional partnerships.

Sustained growth and commercial success depend on investing in people. 

We should strengthen partnerships between universities, research institutions, skills development organisations and businesses.

This will support innovation and knowledge sharing and develop workforces that are ready for the future. 

The strength of the partnership between our countries is not measured by the agreements we sign but by the impact we achieve.

By working together, we can draw on our complementary resources and capabilities to create shared value.

We can empower our youth and uplift our communities.

And we can enable a thriving trade between our countries and across our respective regions.

The outcomes of this forum must be anchored in actionable commitments supported by both government facilitation and private sector leadership.

We are ready for a new era in economic relations between our two countries.

We are ready for an era in which business engagements like this lead to trade and investment, where we move from contact to contracts. 

I thank you.

Fellow Leaders,
Excellencies,
Members of the diplomatic community,
Business leaders,
Esteemed Chairpersons and Members of the BRICS Business Council, 
Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me begin by congratulating the Chairpersons and members of the BRICS Business Council and the Working Groups on the sustained work they undertake throughout the year. 

That work is essential to turning the ambitions of BRICS into meaningful economic cooperation. 

Our shared task is to translate the ideas, recommendations and partnerships developed through the Council into tangible economic growth and development.

The BRICS Business Council was established during South Africa’s first BRICS Presidency in 2013 in recognition that economic cooperation cannot be the responsibility of governments alone. 

Instead, we need a compact: governments create the enabling conditions for trade and investment, and business seeks out the opportunities for production and commerce.

Our economies have confronted profound challenges over the intervening years, yet we have also shown that adversity can create opportunity. 

Resilience is not simply the capacity to withstand disruption. It is the capacity to transform disruption into new capabilities and partnerships.

The question is no longer whether there is potential within BRICS, but whether we have the ambition, the instruments and the partnerships to convert this potential into economic value for our people. 

The Council must serve not simply as a forum for consultation, but as a mechanism for developing commercial relationships and productive partnerships.

As BRICS, we find ourselves at an inflection point.

As the global economy is reshaped, as trade patterns shift, as technological advances accelerate and climate pressures increase, countries and companies are compelled to reconsider where they source, produce and invest. 

For us, this is an opportunity to shape a more resilient, diversified and inclusive economic future for the Global South.

For too long, developing economies have participated in global value chains mainly as suppliers of raw commodities.

Value creation, technology and higher-value manufacturing remained concentrated elsewhere. 

We should not reproduce that pattern within the expanded BRICS. 

Our ambition must extend beyond increasing intra-BRICS trade to deepening the productive relationships between our economies. 

We cannot accept a future where Africa supplies the minerals on which the next generation of industries depends, while value addition and manufacturing take place elsewhere.

If we are to change where value is created, we must also change where investment is directed.

We must direct investment towards manufacturing and beneficiation, industrial technologies, energy systems, infrastructure and logistics. 

Companies must invest not only to access markets but to establish production facilities and develop local capabilities.

As governments and business communities, let us make BRICS a platform through which investment and trade reshape existing economic patterns and thereby transform the destinies of our countries and peoples.

I thank you.

The Presidency invites South Africans to nominate – for the honour of National Orders - people from their communities and sectors who have recorded exceptional achievements or made outstanding contributions to communities or the nation at large.

National Orders are the highest awards that our country bestows, through the President, on citizens and eminent foreign nationals.

Nominations for National Orders close on Wednesday, 30 September, 2026.

The President, as the custodian of honour in the country, bestows these Orders and Decorations and is assisted by the Director-General in The Presidency, who is the Chancellor of National Orders and the Advisory Council on National Orders.

The Chancellor of National Orders, Ms Phindile Baleni, calls on citizens to make nominations for National Orders as part of sustaining the integrity, inclusiveness and diversity of this institution of recognition of outstanding personal endeavour, social cohesion, nation-building.

Ms Baleni said: “The National Orders are a platform for the recognition of fellow South Africans and persons globally who, in exceptional ways, have historically made or are currently making important or interesting contributions to all aspects of our national life.

“From politics to popular culture, as well as the recognition of bravery and honouring the nation’s esteemed scientists and innovators, the National Orders give us an opportunity annually to be inspired by and grateful to people who have done outstanding things to shape our past and our future.

“We therefore remind people from all walks of life and backgrounds – including the youth of our country - to identify from their communities and sectors persons who, on the basis of exceptional achievements or contributions, deserve the honour of a National Order.”

The National Orders are:

- The Order of Mapungubwe, awarded to South African citizens for excellence and exceptional achievement.

- The Order of the Baobab, awarded to South African citizens for distinguished service. The service awarded is well above and beyond the ordinary call of duty. It is an award for exceptional and distinguished contributions in the following categories: business and the economy: science, medicine and technological innovation, and community service.

- The Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo, awarded to eminent foreign nationals. It is awarded for friendship shown to South Africa. It is therefore an order of peace, co-operation and active expression of solidarity and support. The Order constitutes an essential pillar of international and multilateral relations.

- The Order of Luthuli, awarded to South Africans who have made a meaningful contribution to the struggle for democracy, human rights, nation-building, justice and peace, and conflict resolution.

- The Order of Ikhamanga, awarded to South African citizens who have excelled in the fields of arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sport.

- The Order of Mendi for Bravery, awarded to South African citizens who have performed extraordinary acts of bravery that placed their lives in great danger, or who lost their own lives while performing those acts, including in trying to save the life of another person, or by saving property, in or outside the Republic of South Africa.

Nomination forms that outline simple guidelines to nominators can be downloaded at https://www.thepresidency.gov.za/download/file/fid/2785.

Each filled nomination form must be accompanied by a motivations which should include:

- an introductory paragraph with a summary of the nominee’s achievements
- a list of exceptional milestones reached by the nominee in his/her career and/or international arena, and
- a description of the exceptional, outstanding, dedicated service or act of bravery rendered by the nominee.

The closing date for nominations: 30 September 2026.

Details of the annual National Orders Ceremony will be provided at a later date.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Programme Director, 
Premier of the Eastern Cape, Mr Oscar Mabuyane, 
Mr Enrico Brandt, Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, 
Dr Oliver Blume, Chief Executive Officer of the Volkswagen Group, 
Mr Thomas Schäfer, Global CEO of the Volkswagen Brand, 
Ms Martina Mamtshawe Biene and the Volkswagen Group Africa Board, 
Representatives of labour, 
Representatives of business, 
Volkswagen employees and members of the supplier community, 
Distinguished guests, 
Ladies and gentlemen, 
 
Good evening. 
 
It is a great pleasure to be here in Kariega as we celebrate 75 years of Volkswagen manufacturing in South Africa. 
 
Like me, many South Africans carry memories of the place of Volkswagen cars in their lives. 
 
This brand is so woven into our culture that we sometimes have to remind ourselves that VW is not a South African vehicle. 
 
As Volkswagen itself says: it is a German brand, with a South African heart.
 
On the 31st of August 1951, the first Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the production line in what was then Uitenhage. 
 
That moment marked the beginning of what would become the largest German investment in Southern Africa.
 
This plant is the oldest Volkswagen manufacturing facility outside Europe. 
 
It is today the only plant in the world that manufactures the Volkswagen Polo, and the sole exporter of the Polo to Europe and the Asia‑Pacific. 
 
Every Polo you see outside South Africa was built right here.
 
Close to five million vehicles have been built here – the Beetle, the Kombi, the Golf, the Jetta, the Citi Golf, the Polo and the Polo Vivo.
 
These vehicles have been built for South Africa and for the world.
 
This is a remarkable achievement. 
 
Volkswagen has never been content simply to do business in South Africa. 
 
It has sought to become part of the fabric of our nation.
 
At the height of apartheid, when it was neither easy nor popular to do so, Volkswagen was the first company in this industry to recognise black trade unions and to employ black artisans.
 
Tonight we celebrate this proud history. 
 
We celebrate generations of Volkswagen employees who have built this company. 
 
We celebrate the suppliers, dealers, organised labour and communities that have been part of this journey. 
 
And we celebrate the contribution that Volkswagen has made to Kariega, Nelson Mandela Bay, the Eastern Cape and the South African economy. 
 
Tonight is about honouring the past, celebrating today and driving tomorrow. 
 
It is an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the last 75 years and to look to the future. 
 
The automotive sector is one of the largest manufacturing industries in our country. 
 
It supports more than 115,000 direct manufacturing jobs and more than half a million jobs across the automotive value chain. 
 
The industry accounts for just over 5 percent of our gross domestic product and reaches 155 export destinations.
 
Vehicles manufactured by our plants reach markets across Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, Africa and many other parts of the world. 
 
The automotive industry is therefore vital to our efforts to grow the economy, expand exports, attract investment and create jobs. 
 
Volkswagen has been an integral part of this journey. 
 
Last year, more than 156,000 vehicles were produced here in Kariega. 
 
Almost 120,000 of these vehicles were exported to markets around the world. 
 
Volkswagen works with an extensive network of South African suppliers. 
 
Through these operations, thousands of South Africans earn their livelihoods, acquire skills and participate in one of our country's most important manufacturing value chains. 
 
Volkswagen's presence in South Africa demonstrates what can be achieved through long-term investment, industrial capability and partnership. 
 
We are greatly encouraged by Volkswagen's continued investment in our country. 
 
We particularly welcome the R4 billion investment associated with the introduction of the new Volkswagen Tengo. 
 
The Tengo will become the third model manufactured here in Kariega, alongside the Polo and Polo Vivo. 
 
It is a vote of confidence in our workers. 
 
It is a vote of confidence in our manufacturing capability. 
 
And it is a vote of confidence in South Africa as an investment destination. 
 
We do not take this investment for granted.
 
In an intensely competitive environment, South Africa must continue to demonstrate that we have the capabilities, the skills and the policy environment required to attract these investments. 
 
We also welcome Volkswagen's investment of more than R800 million in social investment in the communities around this plant.
 
The establishment of the LEAP 9 Maths and Science School in KwaNobuhle, here in Kariega, is an important investment in the future of our young people. 
 
Volkswagen is also working with our Department of Basic Education on early childhood development and on raising mathematics and science competencies.
 
The company also invests R40 million every year in the Youth Employment Service, an initiative that government founded together with business.
 
This programme gives unemployed young people their first experience of work.
 
These investments remind us that the future of advanced manufacturing begins long before a young person enters a factory. 
 
It begins in our schools, in the teaching of mathematics and science, and in giving young South Africans the skills and confidence to participate in the economy of the future. 
 
The automotive industry is undergoing profound change. 
 
The transition towards battery electric vehicles, hybrids and other new-energy technologies is changing the way vehicles are designed and manufactured. 
 
For South Africa, this transition presents both a challenge and a significant opportunity. 
 
We have an established automotive manufacturing base. 
 
We have skilled workers. 
 
And we have significant reserves of many of the critical minerals required for the technologies of the future. 
 
We must build on these strengths. 
 
We are determined to ensure that South Africa remains an important global manufacturing base for the vehicles of the future. 
 
Government is working to ensure that there is a stable, predictable and supportive policy environment in which automotive companies can invest, localise and grow. 
 
We are reviewing the South African Automotive Masterplan and the automotive policy framework to ensure that they respond to the changing conditions facing the industry.
 
Detailed discussions are underway among all partners, including the industry, unions and government, to develop a common programme to grow and sustain the automotive sector in South Africa.
 
We are committed to concluding this work as a priority.
 
We need a sustainable plan that is suited to changing circumstances and that will address constraints, unlock opportunities, build skills, create policy certainty and enhance South Africa's competitiveness as an investment destination. 
 
Our objective is to increase vehicle production in South Africa. 
 
We want more of the vehicles sold in our country to be produced here. 
 
And we want this industry to continue creating jobs and opportunities for our people. 
 
As we increase production, we must increase the value that is created in South Africa. 
 
We want more black industrialists participating in the automotive value chain. 
 
And we want South African companies to develop capabilities in batteries, electronics and the other technologies that will increasingly define the vehicles of the future. 
 
We must not only assemble the vehicles of the future. 
 
We must increasingly manufacture the components, process the materials and develop the skills and technologies that go into them. 
 
The success of this plant over the last 75 years has ultimately been built by people. 
 
It has been built by generations of South African workers. 
 
The true value of industrial investment is therefore not measured only by the number of vehicles that leave a production line. 
 
It is measured by the skills that are developed, the businesses that are created and the opportunities that are opened for young people. 
 
We commend Volkswagen for its contribution to skills development, supplier development and community investment. 
 
The workers who built the automotive industry of today must be joined by a new generation of South Africans who will build the automotive industry of tomorrow. 
 
We must also look increasingly to our own continent. 
 
The African Continental Free Trade Area provides us with an opportunity to build larger markets, develop regional value chains and expand automotive manufacturing across the continent. 
 
And we want South Africa to remain an important manufacturing base for vehicles made for South Africa, for Africa and for the world. 
 
Volkswagen's history in South Africa is a story of partnership. 
 
I therefore welcome the call from Volkswagen, and from the broader automotive industry, for stronger partnership between government, business and labour.
 
And as the global industry transitions towards new-energy vehicles, we want South Africa to be part of Volkswagen's future technology and manufacturing strategy. 
 
Investment decisions being taken today will determine where the vehicles of the next decade are manufactured. 
 
Seventy-five years ago, the first Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the production line here in Kariega. 
 
Much has changed since then. 
 
The vehicles have changed. The technologies have changed. 
 
The markets have changed. And the world has changed. 
 
But what has endured is the partnership between Volkswagen and South Africa. 
 
Tonight we honour the people who built that partnership. 
 
We congratulate Volkswagen Group Africa on this important anniversary. 
 
We thank the Volkswagen Group for its continued confidence in our country. 
 
And we look forward to the next chapter of this relationship. 
 
We thank Volkswagen for believing in South Africa for 75 years. 
 
Let us work together to build people’s cars in this country for many years to come.
 
I thank you.
 

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Monday, 31 August 2026, deliver the keynote address at the Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner at the Volkswagen Plant in Kariega, Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape.

The 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner is convened under the theme: “A Legacy in Motion: Honouring the past, celebrating today, driving tomorrow.”

The celebration marks 75 years of Volkswagen in South Africa and commemorates the company’s longstanding contribution to the country’s automotive industry, economy, skills development and communities.

The first Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the production line at the Kariega plant, then known as Uitenhage, on 31 August 1951.

The plant was initially established in 1946 as South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors (SAMAD) for the local assembly of Studebaker cars and commercial vehicles.

Over the past 75 years, the Kariega plant has produced nearly 40 different models and has built more than 4.8 million vehicles, of which more than three million were produced for the local market.

Today, Volkswagen Group Africa’s Kariega plant is the sole manufacturer of the Volkswagen Polo worldwide, exporting the model to 38 countries, while also manufacturing the Polo Vivo for the local market.

Volkswagen Group Africa has also established a growing footprint on the African continent, with assembly facilities in Kenya, Rwanda and Ghana.

The company remains a significant contributor to South Africa’s automotive manufacturing sector and to the economy of the Nelson Mandela Bay region.

Volkswagen Group Africa employs approximately 3 600 people and supports 1 440 suppliers, with its wider operations estimated to support approximately 50 000 indirect jobs.

Since 2010, the company has invested more than R13 billion in its facilities in South Africa, while its Corporate Social Investment investment since 1994 totals more than R800 million.

The objectives of the 75th Anniversary Gala include reflecting on Volkswagen’s journey and contribution to South Africa’s automotive industry, economy and communities; honouring the generations of employees, partners, dealers, suppliers and customers who have shaped the company’s legacy; and highlighting key milestones and achievements over the past 75 years.

The celebration will also provide an opportunity to reflect on the state of the local automotive industry, including industry challenges, competitiveness, policy requirements and the future of manufacturing in South Africa.

Volkswagen will officially unveil a new vehicle model to be built at the Kariega plant, demonstrating its commitment to local manufacturing and future growth.

The event will further showcase Volkswagen’s expanding footprint across Africa and its strategy to develop sustainable automotive ecosystems and strengthen mobility solutions across the continent.

President Ramaphosa will address the VWGA 75th Anniversary celebration as follows:
Date: Monday, 31 August 2026
Time: 18:00
Venue: Volkswagen Plant, 103 Algoa Road, Kariega, Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape

Media accreditation: Media representatives wishing to attend the Gala Dinner event are requested to submit their details for accreditation to Miss Odette Parfitt on odette.parfitt@vwsa.co.za/0716196640.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Mphathi woHlelo;
Mangibingelele ngibonge kuNobhala we Thulani Temple uBaba uDlamini;
Ngibingelele no Buholi bonke bama Nazaretha obukhona lapha; 
Abafundisi, oMama, Amakhosazana kanye neNtsha yaleliBandla;
Ubuholi besifundazwe KwaZulu-Natal esinabo lapha; 
Convener of the ANC KZN, Cde Mike Mabuyakhulu, Ndiyema!
uMgungundlovu District Mayor, uCouncillor M Zuma;
Deputy District Mayor, Cllr Dlamini-Mabaso;
Chief Whip of Msunduzi Local Municipality, uBaba Sibalukhulu;
Ngibingelele zonke Izihambeli zethu namuhla;

iBandla lamaNazaretha, ngiyanibingelela nonke egameni likaJehova.

Ukuthula makube nani nonke!

Kuyasijabulisa kakhulu ukuba yingxenye yaleNkonzo ebaluleke ngangaka namhlanje ngoSuku lweSabatha.

Sizizwa sibusisekile ukunyathela kuleli Temple elingcwele lase Thulani, eWillowfontein ngaphansi kwe Nazareth Baptist Church yaseBuhleni. 

Ngifisa ukuthi ngikhulume ngolimi lwesiLungu: I have long wanted to attend your Sabbath Church Service, not as a speaker, but as a member of the congregation, listening to the Word of God and the teachings that blend indigenous African values with the Holy Bible. As the Holy Scriptures remind us, there is a time for everything and a season for every purpose under heaven. I therefore believe that it is by the grace and will of God that I stand before you today, representing the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Mr Paul Mashatile.

The Deputy President had very much looked forward to being with you on this occasion. Regrettably, he is unable to do so as he is currently on medical leave. He has, however, conveyed his sincere greetings and best wishes to the leadership and all members of the Nazareth Baptist Church gathered here today.

Deputy President Mashatile has asked me to assure you of his continued support for the church, its leadership, and all its congregants. He also wishes you a blessed Sabbath and a spiritually enriching service. 

Njengoba sibuthene lapha namuhla, ngicela sithandaze sonke kuBaba wethu osezulwini ukuba abeke izandla Zakhe ezipholisayo phezu kwakhe ukuze alulame ngokushesha.

As someone who works closely with the Deputy President, I have developed a deep appreciation of the important role that the Nazareth Baptist Church has and continues to play in building social cohesion, fostering unity, and promoting mutual respect among the people of our country. 

This church was founded in 1910 by Inkosi Isaiah Mloyiswa Mdliwamafa Shembe, uBhombela iStimela samaMpondo, uMqali Wendlela! Since then, the Nazareth Baptist Church has stood as a beacon of faith, cultural preservation, and social solidarity among communities for generations. 

Its establishment was particularly significant, as it coincided with the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, a political arrangement that excluded the majority of Black South Africans from meaningful participation in the administration of their affairs.

Against this backdrop of political marginalisation and colonial dispossession, Inkosi uShembe's movement offered spiritual renewal, dignity, and a sense of identity to African communities. By integrating Christian teachings with elements of Zulu cultural heritage, the Nazareth Baptist Church became one of the most influential African-initiated independent churches in Southern Africa and a powerful vehicle for preserving African traditions in an era of rapid social change.

The church's history is therefore deeply intertwined with the broader history of South Africa. For more than a century, it has accompanied its followers through the challenges of colonialism, segregation, apartheid, and democracy, serving not only as a place of worship but also as a source of social cohesion, cultural affirmation, and collective resilience. For generations, iBandla lamaNazaretha demonstrated that our diversity is not a source of weakness but one of our greatest strength as a nation. 

Through its teachings, fellowship, and community outreach programmes, it has united individuals from diverse backgrounds around shared values of faith, discipline, respect, compassion, and human dignity.

Nanamuhla nje siyabubonga uBuholi beNkosi uShembe, uNyazi lweZulu! 

Igama leNkosi Malibongwe!

The work of the Nazareth Baptist Church led by Unyazi lweZulu resonates strongly with the vision of a democratic South Africa founded on the values of unity, dignity, equality, and social justice. It reminds us that building a prosperous nation is not only the responsibility of Government but also of faith communities, Traditional Leaders, civil society organisations, families, and individuals working together in pursuit of the common good.

Our democratic Government has long recognised that faith-based organisations are indispensable partners in our national development journey. It is for this reason that The Presidency has established the Presidential Interfaith Working Group. This is in recognition of the fact while Government has the constitutional responsibility to provide social services and create an enabling environment for development, we also understand that the work of building caring, resilient and cohesive communities cannot be achieved by Government alone.

It is not a secret that faith communities such as Nazarene Baptist Church occupy a unique position in our society. They are often the first port of call when families experience hardship, when young people lose direction, when communities are confronted by substance abuse, gender-based violence (GBV), poverty, unemployment, or social conflict. Through their daily interaction with communities, faith-based organisations provide not only spiritual nourishment but also practical support, guidance and hope.

Siyayibonga kakhulu imisebenzi yaleliSonto elikhulukazi lika Shembe ekwakheni isizwe, ukuvikela abasifazane, izingane zamantombazane noMama ekuhlukunyezweni nokuphathwa kabi ezweni.

Siyayibonga futhi siyayithakazela inhlonipho nokuziphatha kahle okuyi mfundiso yalapha eBuhleni. 

Igama leNkosi Malibongwe!

Njengoba bese ngike ngasho ukuthi uMongameli Ramaphosa ungiphathise uMnyango ka Zwelonke weZenhlakahle, njengo Hulumeni sisebenza ngokubambisana kakhulu nama Bandla ahlukahlukene kulolonke izwe lethu South Africa.

Siyawazi amagalelo we Nkonzo ka Shembe ekuletheni ukudla komoya kanye nokudla kwenyama emdenini nase Mphakathini wonkana. Engathi ningaqhubeka nibambisane no Hulumeni ekwakheni imindeni eqotho. Ninike imiphakathi yethu ithemba, nokukhulisa izingane ngenhlonipho nokumesaba uJehova.

As the Department of Social Development, we have witnessed the profound impact that faith-based organisations such as the Nazareth Baptist Church have in addressing some of our most pressing social challenges. Whether through feeding schemes, support for older persons, care for orphans and vulnerable children, persons with disabilities, counselling services, youth development programmes, or initiatives aimed at strengthening families, faith communities continue to complement the efforts of Government in meaningful ways.

We also commit Government to assist the church in implementing these programmes of community development. We have already identified several challenges that require our immediate interventions. These include the case of uGogo Mntolo who does not have an identity document and stays with her grandchildren who also do not have birth certificates. 

I have directed that SASSA work around the clock to ensure that uGogo Mntolo and many other families that have similar challenges in this area receive necessary support services without any further delays. I expect a report within a week from the SASSA Regional Manager, working jointly with the Provincial Head of Social Development and many other key partners, including the local municipality and Home Affairs on planned interventions that directly address service delivery issues raised during the community dialogue sessions. 

All children who are eligible for the Child Support Grant or older persons who are eligible for the Old Age Grant must receive it. Our laws are very clear that no eligible child, person with a disability or older person must be denied the right to access a grant because they do not have an identity document or a birth certificate. Abantu bethu bafuna uhulumeni oneminyakazo esheshayo nophendula izidingo zabo. 

As a start, today we have brought the services of the Department and its agencies—the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the National Development Agency (NDA) to the people of Willowfontein and surrounding communities to access government services right here where you live. 

So, today is not the first and last time you see us here. As a caring government and as directed by Deputy President Mashatile, we will continue to work with the leadership of the Nazarene Baptist Church to respond to your concerns. 

In the coming days, the NDA must work jointly with the youth and women of this church with the view to assist them to organise themselves into cooperatives that will drive development in this area. 

uSekela Mongameli uBaba uMashatile uthe angisho ukuthi uHulumeni uzosebenza ngokubambisana nani ukuze kuqedelwe ukwakhiwa kwalendlu engcwele!

The Department of Social Development is inviting the Nazarene Baptist Church and other faith formations to partner with us in the implementation of a variety of programmes for the maximum benefit by our communities. For example, through the Department’s Men and Boys Programme, many faith-based organisations have established Men’s Forums in response to various social ills. 

The Department also launched the Families Matter Programme, which is assisting in addressing the challenges of alcohol and substance abuse and foetal alcohol syndrome. We also urge you as the sector leaders to assist in addressing the challenge of the abuse of older persons and ensuring that children are equipped with relevant teachings for better social grounding.

Through our flagship programme—Asikhulume, we are working with faith communities to confront the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide that President Cyril Ramaphosa has classified as a national disaster. 

In closing, I would like to encourage you to continue playing the important role of supporting vulnerable children, youth, adults, families and communities in whatever manner that will be necessary to bring the best out of each one of them. To this end, the Department of Social Development is availing itself to redouble its investments to work in partnership with Nazarene Baptist Church and the broader interfaith sector in our country.

This is because we know that no matter how many laws we pass, no matter how many houses we build, Government alone can never build a moral society, teach compassion, or instil a sense of responsibility in our young people. 

Together, we can build a South Africa in which every person enjoys dignity, every child is protected, every family is strengthened, and every community has hope for a better future. In this regard, we commend the leadership and members of the Nazareth Baptist Church for their constant dedication to serving humanity and contributing to the creation of a united, inclusive and prosperous South Africa.

As November 4 draws near, we ask the leadership of Nazareth Baptist Church and all faith communities across South Africa to pray for far and peaceful Local Government Elections. Let us pray that the Nazareth Baptist Church will lead the way in humility, compassion and love throughout the upcoming elections as it has throughout the history of our nation. 

uShembe uMqali Wendlela anibusise nonke! 

Ngiyabonga.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has this morning, 11 September 2026, arrived in New Delhi, in the Republic of India to attend the 18th BRICS Summit.

The BRICS Summit will be held from 12–13 September 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam under India’s Chairship, guided by the theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Security”.

The Summit brings together leaders of BRICS Member and Partner Countries, as well as Outreach Invitees.

This afternoon, President Ramaphosa will deliver remarks at the BRICS Business Forum, focusing on trade and supply chains, agriculture, women-led development, the digital economy and innovation.

The Forum brings together BRICS leaders, business representatives, including members of the BRICS Business Council and BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, investors, as well as entrepreneurs from BRICS countries and partner economies. It plays an important role in shaping the BRICS economic agenda and strengthening business-to-business cooperation.

On 12 September 2026, the President will address the India-South Africa Business Leadership Roundtable, with a focus on enhancing bilateral trade and investment between the two countries. The forum also seeks to encourage additional Indian foreign direct investment in key sectors, including pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, critical minerals, and the electric vehicle battery value chain.

President Ramaphosa will later in the day participate in a closed session of BRICS Leaders entitled; “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism”. 

The session will consider the need for a more inclusive, representative and responsive global governance architecture, with a focus on reform of the United Nations system, the international financial architecture and the multilateral trading system.

On 13 September 2026, President Ramaphosa will deliver a statement during Summit’s open session for BRICS and Invited Leaders; “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth”, which will focus on India’s Chairship priorities.

South Africa will use the Summit to advance its diplomatic and economic priorities, particularly by expanding intra-BRICS trade and investment, promoting industrialisation and value addition, and mobilising investment in African infrastructure aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The President will also join other leaders in visiting the Bharat Innovates & BRICS @20 Exhibition, which will showcase innovation, technology and key achievements of BRICS cooperation, as well as participate in a joint tree-planting ceremony.

He will also hold bilateral meetings with Heads of State and Government, as well as engagements with business leaders and captains of industry.

President Ramaphosa is supported by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola; Minister in The Presidency, Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni; and Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Zuko Godlimpi.

BRICS SUMMIT PROGRAMME

BRICS Business Forum
Date: Friday, 11 September 2026
Time: 17h00 - 18h00 (GMT)

India-South Africa Business Leadership Roundtable
Date: Saturday, 12 September 2026
Time: 11h15 (GMT)

Open Session on “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and

Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth”
Date: Sunday, 13 September 2026
Time: 10h15 (GMT)

BRICS Live streaming for select meetings will be accessible on @BRICS2026India and @MEAIndia YouTube channels.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

In his capacity as Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), President Cyril Ramaphosa, extends his deep condolences to Her Excellency, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the Republic of Tanzania, on the passing of her husband, Mr Hafidh Ameir Hassan.

Mr Hassan, 80, passed away on Monday, 7 September 2026, while receiving treatment for a cardiac condition. He had a distinguished career as an agricultural academic and agriculturalist.

President Ramaphosa’s thoughts are with President Hassan and her children, and the extended family and friends.

President Ramaphosa also offers his sympathies to the government and people of the Republic of Tanzania, which is a founding member of SADC.

President Ramaphosa said: “As the people of our region, we reach out in our hearts and prayers to President Hassan and the nation of Tanzania in this difficult moment.

“We offer you our heartfelt condolences and wish you strength and comfort as you mourn the loss of an outstanding citizen and partner.”

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

Programme Director,
Acting Minister of Police, Professor Firoz Cachalia,
Premier of Gauteng, Mr Panyaza Lesufi,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police,
Members of Parliament,
Acting National Commissioner of Police, Lt General Puleng Dimpane,
Chief of the SANDF, General Rudzani Maphwanya,
Deputy National Commissioners,
Representatives from Organised Labour,
Chairperson of the SAPSET Board and the Board of Trustees,
Chairperson of the National CPF Board and Provincial CPF Chairpersons,
Members of the South African Police Service,
Most importantly, the families and loved ones of our fallen police officers,

Good morning,

A nation reveals its character not only in how it remembers those who serve it, but in what it does to protect those who serve.

Today, South Africa stands before its Roll of Honour with grief and resolve. Today, we remember 12 police officers who gave their lives in service of our people.

National Commemoration Day is a national covenant of remembrance, accountability and renewal.

It is a commitment to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice, to stand with the families they left behind and to build a safer Republic.

Police safety is a responsibility that falls to all of us.

This year, we remember 12 members who lost their lives in the line of duty during the last financial year.

Nine of these members were from Gauteng, with one each from North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. 
Among them is the only woman on this year’s Roll of Honour. She was a mother of three from Temba Police Station. 

We remember seven devoted husbands and fathers of young children.

Among the families gathered here today is a wife who was pregnant when her husband was killed, and another whose father and husband left behind seven-month-old twins. 

Behind every police killing is a family story that has been permanently rewritten.

The circumstances of these deaths should concern us deeply. 

Several members were killed while crewing the same shift, responding to business robbery complaints or transporting awaiting-trial prisoners. 

Others died on routine crime prevention and patrol duties in their own precincts.

The youngest was only 25 years old.

Today we remember them not as statistics, but as sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, colleagues and friends, who went to work to protect their fellow South Africans and never returned home.

We must confront a difficult question: what kind of society kills those entrusted to protect it? And what must we do to change it?

When criminals target a police officer, they are attacking the integrity of the State, the rule of law and the constitutional order.

They are not just attacking an individual. They are attacking the people of South Africa.

Our response must extend beyond enforcement.

The fight against crime must become a project of responsible citizenship: respecting the law, rejecting corruption, reporting criminality and teaching our children that respect for human life is the foundation of a stable democracy.

We must invest in families, schools, early childhood development, youth programmes and sport. We must build resilience before young people become vulnerable to criminal networks.

There has been a significant decline over the last few years in the number of police members being killed in the line of duty. This reflects the progress of operational interventions, police safety initiatives, community partnerships and cooperation across government and with the private sector.

But even one life lost is one too many.

The SAPS has therefore implemented a Police Safety Action Plan called ‘Think First – Act Safe: Every Call, Every Time’.

This plan is structured around governance, proactive and reactive interventions, the safety of police stations and infrastructure, redress and support. It includes monitoring and evaluation, with provincial plans aligned to the national framework.

But policing alone cannot solve this challenge. Communities must become part of the protective architecture around our police. They must report threats, protect information and reject criminality.

We need a stronger partnership with the private sector, which has a critical role in securing the future of the children left behind by fallen officers.

Since its establishment in 2010, the South African Police Service Education Trust – known as SAPSET – has supported 2,215 children of fallen police officers, with more than R25 million raised through sponsorships. 

This investment changes lives. Children who once faced uncertainty have graduated. Some have obtained Master’s and PhD degrees.

I appeal directly to corporate South Africa: support SAPSET through sustainable donations and scholarship programmes.

Give these children the foundation to transform the experience of loss into opportunity.

To the families of our fallen officers: the Republic remembers your loved ones. 

No ceremony can replace a husband or wife. No pension can compensate for the loss of a father or mother. And no tribute can return a parent to their children. 

But we can ensure that their service is never forgotten and that their families remain part of the national family.

To the children of our fallen members: your parents left you more than memories. They left you a legacy of courage, duty and service.

Carry their names with pride and build lives worthy of their sacrifice.

To the men and women of the SAPS: the nation sees your courage and recognises the demands of your profession.

But that courage must be supported by proper systems, intelligence, equipment, training and leadership.

Serve with authority, but also with humility.
Serve with courage, but also with discipline.
Serve with professionalism, integrity and respect for the Constitution.
And protect one another.

At this moment, the SAPS is operating under unprecedented public scrutiny. The revelations emerging from the Judicial Commission of Inquiry have raised legitimate questions about policing, leadership, accountability and institutional integrity. This must not result in paralysis. Instead, it must be a catalyst for renewal. 

The SAPS must remain focused on its core mandate: prevent crime, combat criminality, protect communities and keep South Africans safe.

The SAPS must continue to deliver. The best response to scrutiny is not defensiveness. It is performance.

The best response to criticism is not denialism. It is professional conduct, measurable results and safer communities.

We need to once again earn people’s trust, station by station, community by community.

Let us use this moment to strengthen the institution, restore public confidence and reaffirm the social contract between the police and the people. 

Let us build a police service that is trusted because it is competent, respected because it is disciplined and credible because it is ethical.

Today, we remember 12 fallen officers, but our responsibility is greater than remembrance. We must act.

We owe the fallen a safer country.
We owe their families sustained support and opportunity.
We owe our police officers the systems, leadership, protection and resources necessary to keep them safe.

We owe future generations a country worth inheriting.
May we honour our fallen heroes not only by remembering how they died, but by changing how we live.
May we honour their courage with courage of our own.
May we honour their service by serving this country better.

And may we build a South Africa in which those who protect our people are themselves protected — by Government and by the communities they serve.

May God bless South Africa and protect her people.

I thank you.

Programme Director, Ms Sakina Kamwendo,
The Simelane family,
Premier of Mpumalanga, Mr Mandla Ndlovu,
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mpumalanga, Professor Thenjiwe Meyiwa, 
Executive Mayor of the Mbombela Local Municipality, Cllr Sibongile Makushe-Mazibuko,
Members of the inaugural board of the Nokuthula Simelane Foundation,
Members of the Students’ Representative Council and students,
Members of the media,
Distinguished guests, 
Ladies and gentlemen,

Sanibonani.
Thobela.
Dumelang.

On behalf of our Government and the people of South Africa, we extend heartfelt greetings and our sincere gratitude to the Simelane family.

Thank you for having given this nation your courageous and deeply committed daughter, Nokuthula Simelane.

We commend the University of Mpumalanga for hosting this inaugural lecture that bears her name and for the partnership that today gives birth to the Nokuthula Simelane Foundation.

We are gathered here to remember the life and the struggle of a young woman who dedicated herself to the cause of freedom.

We are here to honour a young life that was taken with such cruelty for no reason other than her love for her people and her dreams for her country.

Nokuthula Simelane was just 23 years old when she was lured to Johannesburg, abducted by apartheid security police, tortured and never seen again.

More than 40 years since Nokuthula disappeared, her remains are yet to be found.

For more than four decades, the Simelane family has not been permitted the basic dignity of laying their daughter to rest.

At the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a former commander of the Soweto Intelligence Unit, Willem Coetzee, admitted to her capture and torture, but denied killing her.

We later learned from his colleague that Nokuthula was murdered and that her body was buried in the vicinity of Rustenburg.

Today, the nation still awaits the outcome of the criminal charges that were brought against Coetzee.

It is not enough for a family to be told that their child was murdered and buried somewhere unrecorded.

The Simelane family deserves to know the specific place where their daughter lies, so that they may finally lay her to rest with the dignity that was denied her in life.

To the Simelane family, we say that your pain is the nation’s pain.

It is a pain that will not be washed away by the mere passage of time.

We owe it to Nokuthula, and to every activist like her, to make sure the truth is uncovered and that justice is finally served.

More than that, we owe it to Nokuthula and to all who gave their lives for our freedom, to continue to strive for – and to achieve – the South Africa for which they fought.

Although she was young, Nokuthula lived her life with purpose.

Nokuthula understood apartheid for what it was: a cruel, unjust and unnatural system of racial separation that dehumanised the people of this country.

At a very young age, she rejected a social order that oppressed people and denied them their most basic human rights.

It was for this reason that she joined Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Nokuthula was still a student when she took on this responsibility.

She undertook the dangerous work of a courier, carrying messages between Swaziland and South Africa, maintaining links and keeping hope alive.

She was young. But she was not naïve.

Nor was she blind to the danger of what she had undertaken.

She would not surrender to fear of arrest, of torture or of death.

Had she lived, she would have seen apartheid fall.

She would have cast her first vote.

She would have been among those who wrote our democratic Constitution.

She would have been one of those building a new nation.

She would have been at the forefront of the fight against poverty and inequality.

Her life – a life so imbued with purpose, meaning and dedication – challenges us all to reflect on our purpose.

It challenges the young people of today to shape their principles and ideals.

To define the society they want to build and determine the lives they want to live.

Her life challenges the youth of today to find purpose and to strive as she did to realise the world in which she wanted to live.

Nokuthula never lived to cast a ballot.

On the 4th of November this year, millions of South Africans will vote freely – in conditions of fairness and peace – for democratic local government.

This will be the fourteenth time that voters will go to the polls in nation-wide elections for national, provincial or local government.

This is a great achievement.

But the strength of our democracy lies not merely in the conduct of regular elections.

It lies in the participation of those whom democracy is meant to serve.

In the 2024 elections, fewer than half of registered voters under the age of 30 turned out to vote.

Young people are less likely to be registered to vote than older people.

This puts young people at a disadvantage. It limits their ability to determine the future of their communities, their cities and towns, and their country.

As young people – and as a society – we must strive to ensure that through our electoral process the voice of youth is heard and that the power of youth is felt.

As a people, we have built and sustained one of the more resilient constitutional democracies to emerge from the twentieth century.

We have built robust and durable institutions.

We have independent courts that act without fear or favour, that safeguard the rights of the vulnerable and hold the powerful to account.

We have a free media, strong unions and a vibrant civil society.

Our Constitution is among the most progressive in the world.

Our Bill of Rights guarantees fundamental rights that were denied Nokuthula: freedom of association and expression, the right to vote, the right to human dignity and the right to life.

The Bill of Rights does more. It is an instrument of transformation.

It provides to every person the right to housing, to health care, food, water and social security, to education, and to a healthy environment.

Thirty years since the adoption of that Bill of Rights, we must ask how South Africans experience those rights.

What does the Bill of Rights mean for a person still living in a shack, for a child learning in a classroom that is falling apart, for a family that goes hungry, for a household without water?

Nokuthula did not fight so that human dignity would exist only on paper.

She fought so that human dignity would be a lived reality.

It is our responsibility – our purpose – to give meaning to those rights.

As one travels across the country, one can see the many ways in which our constitutional promise is made manifest.

Millions of houses have been built where once there was just empty ground.

These are neighbourhoods, with roads and streetlights, schools and clinics.

These are homes with electricity, water and sanitation.

Living in these homes are parents with opportunities that never existed before: to enter an occupation of their choosing, to start a business, to own property.

Living in these homes are grandparents, persons with disability and children who receive social grants.

There are children in those homes who go to fee-free schools, where they receive a free daily meal, and who can look forward to studying at a university or college funded by the state.

We have a social wage that reaches millions.

We continue to expand access to housing, water, electricity, health care and education.

Last year, we achieved our highest matric pass rate ever.

In the past two decades, the proportion of South African adults with at least a matric qualification has increased from less than a third to more than half.

Health outcomes have improved. Life expectancy has increased. Infant mortality has declined.

We have one of the largest HIV treatment programmes in the world and are moving ever closer to ending AIDS as a public health threat.

All of this tells us that we have made real progress.

Yet, if we are to give a fair account of the last three decades, we must acknowledge that there are areas where progress has been slow or insufficient.

It is true that more than 88 percent of households live in formal dwellings.

Yet we have a backlog of some 2.6 million housing units.

This backlog deepens every year, as thousands more people move to our cities.

These people are often forced to live in informal settlements and abandoned buildings, placing a strain on social infrastructure and services.

More than 82 percent of households have access to clean water. Yet millions do not.

Progress is not merely about units delivered.

It is about lasting change in people’s lives.

A tap in the home means little if there is no water.

A streetlight serves no purpose if the bulb is never replaced.

A matric certificate is of little value if there are no jobs available.

We must concern ourselves not merely with the various components of development – houses, social grants, schools and the like – but also with how people experience development.

We must concern ourselves both with how their lives are transformed and the many ways in which their progress can be held back.

We may marvel at the new hospitals and clinics we have built.

But we must give just as much attention to the quality of care that people receive at these facilities, to the time they must spend in the waiting area, to whether the medicines they need are available.

We are proud that we have massively expanded financial support to students from poor and working class families.

But we must be concerned when students cannot find accommodation, when payments are delayed, when they have to forgo meals, or when they are ill-prepared for the studies they want to undertake.

These are challenges that we cannot leave to the state alone to fix.

These are challenges that call for social activism, for partnership and for shared solutions.

As we strive to give life to the rights contained in our Constitution, we carry a responsibility to unite a divided country.

Nokuthula Simelane fought for a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it, black and white.

She fought for a non-racial South Africa.

A South Africa in which all people would be equal, not only in rights, not only in opportunity, but equal in lived experience.

We have done much to break down the barriers of racial exclusion.

Children of the formerly oppressed and children of the formerly privileged now sit in the same classrooms.

They play on the same sports fields. They go to the same clubs.

Grandchildren of domestic workers and farm workers are now scientists, doctors, judges and Cabinet Ministers.

But the divide between black and white remains.

It is a divide that is evident in the economy.

It is evident in the architecture of our towns and cities.

It is evident in the health care people can afford. In the schools they can attend.

This divide between black and white is the stubborn remnant of apartheid that we have worked together over the last 30 years to eradicate.

We have introduced laws and implemented programmes that affirm the position of those who were discriminated against in the past.

Our black economic empowerment policies have improved the participation of black people and women in the economy, enabled greater access to land and contributed to the growth of emerging businesses.

These policies have contributed to a significant expansion of the black middle class and improved standards of living for black people.

Statistics South Africa tells us that in the last two decades, the average income of Africans increased in real terms by 46 percent.

Over that time, the level of poverty in the African population fell from 67 to 44 percent.

Yet, despite this progress, the average income of white households is still nearly five times as high as that of the average African household.

It is that divide that we must make it our responsibility to bridge.

If we are to overcome our devastating apartheid inheritance, if we are to end poverty and reduce inequality, then we need to drive economic growth that is sustained, sustainable and inclusive.

We need to create employment and livelihood opportunities for young people.

And we need to provide the infrastructure, social support and public services that lift people out of poverty.

At this moment in our country’s development, we must make it our responsibility to drive inclusive growth.

The State is driving growth through a massive investment in infrastructure.

We are also rebuilding the backbone of our economy through far-reaching reforms in energy, water, ports, rail and telecommunications.
 
We are directing our industrial policy to support industries that employ the most people and create the most value.

We are expanding established industries like mining, agriculture, manufacturing and construction, while building new industries in renewable energy, electric vehicles and the digital economy.

Through growth that is inclusive, we will be able to create more jobs and business opportunities for the five million young people who are unemployed.

But we realise that this will take time.

We recognise that young people must still overcome many obstacles to find work.

Therefore, as we pursue faster and more inclusive economic growth, we have undertaken programmes on a large scale to provide opportunities for young people to earn an income, develop skills and gain work experience.

Through public and social employment programmes, through the Employment Tax Incentive, through the Youth Employment Service and through the SAYouth platform, we are supporting millions of young people on their path to employment.

Critical to our vision of a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it, is the advancement and empowerment of women.

We recently celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Women’s March on the Union Buildings on the 9th of August 1956.

We recall the courage and determination of the women of our country in standing up not only to the apartheid government, but to the laws, practices and attitudes that prevented South African women from realising their rights.

We have carried that spirit into the Constitution, the laws and the programmes of the democratic South Africa.

As a society, we have worked to advance the representation of women in all areas of life and to ensure their full and equal participation in decision making.

Women lead institutions that are vital to our democracy.

Women are ministers, mayors, judges, traditional leaders, diplomats, police officers, soldiers, entrepreneurs, farmers, scientists, engineers, academics, artists and athletes.

Today, more women than men are enrolled in our universities and colleges.

Over the years, we have accelerated women’s access to basic services, including social welfare provisions and economic opportunities, lifting millions out of absolute poverty.

The Employment Equity Act and other progressive laws have paved the way for more equitable representation of women in the economy.

Over a quarter of top managers in the private sector are now women. Just under a half of senior managers in national government departments are women.

We are using preferential procurement, industrial financing institutions and various support programmes to promote the advancement of women entrepreneurs.

Young women today have opportunities that previous generations only dreamt of.

But they still confront great challenges.

Girls have a greater chance of dropping out of school due to domestic responsibilities.

Many female learners lose out on school days because they do not have sanitary pads.

Young women have a greater likelihood than young men of not being in employment, education or training.

Women of all ages fear for their safety, with young women at the greatest risk of experiencing intimate partner violence.

These are not challenges that women must confront alone.

These are challenges that we must confront as a society.

As men, we have a responsibility to confront the attitudes, institutions and practices that continue to discriminate against women.

We have a responsibility as men to prevent violence against women.

To speak out against it. And not to commit it.

As a society, we share a responsibility to ensure that girls remain in school and that they are able to further their education in their chosen area of study.

That means we must address issues of safety, sanitary products, childcare for young mothers and pathways back into the education system for those who drop out.

We must ensure that young women have equal opportunity to enter the workplace, to earn equal pay for equal work, and to be able to pursue their careers without hindrance.

We must have clinics where young women can access contraception, HIV prevention and treatment, and reproductive health care with ease and without judgment.

Colleagues and friends,

As we remember the life and the death of Nokuthula Simelane, we must reflect on our nation’s experience of justice and reconciliation.

We must confront what the American novelist William Faulkner meant when he wrote: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

For the Simelane family, the past is not past.

It is not past for the thousands of families who placed their faith in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and who were met, too often, with silence, evasion and half-truths from those who took their loved ones.

There is a view that has taken root in parts of our national life: that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded this business and that it is time to move on.

We must resist this view.

We must not allow the passage of time to dim our recollection of the atrocities committed against our people.

We must not allow ourselves to forget.

Because to forget is to deny the suffering and the sacrifice of those who made our freedom possible.

To forget allows space for such atrocities to be committed once again.

To forget lifts the burden of moral responsibility from those who committed and enabled such crimes.

We must similarly confront the view that responsibility for apartheid’s crimes rested only with the security officials who committed the crimes and not with the system that sheltered and rewarded them.

The late Professor Kader Asmal put it plainly in a lecture in 2000.

He said: 

“If you never pulled a trigger nor held a smoking gun, but yet you benefited from the societal system defended by the violence – if all you did was loaf around a poolside in an opulent white apartheid suburb – you still needed to be involved in the process [of transitional justice].”

Reconciliation asks something of all of us.

Nation-building is our collective responsibility.

Overcoming the apartheid legacy is as much – if not more – the responsibility of those who continue to benefit from that legacy as it is the responsibility of those who continue to suffer under its oppressive weight.

It is precisely because we dare not forget the atrocities of our past that we must attend to the unfinished business of our journey towards justice and reconciliation.

We must welcome the renewed energy with which the National Prosecuting Authority is pursuing both truth and justice through establishing inquests and through the prosecution of alleged perpetrators.

We must recognise that, even now, this work does not always proceed at the pace we want. There are still challenges and setbacks.

But we must continue to do all within our means to ensure that the relevant authorities have the support and encouragement they need to fulfil this responsibility.

The work of transitional justice will not be complete unless we answer the charge that there was deliberate interference in the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

We therefore welcome the work of the judicial commission of inquiry led by retired Constitutional Court Judge Sisi Khampepe, which is expected to complete its work by the end of this year.

We have been clear that this inquiry must be able to do its work without fear or favour.

We will stand behind this Commission until the truth is told.

Without justice, there can never be lasting peace.

We owe the Simelane family and every family still waiting for a grave to visit nothing less than the whole truth.

Friends and Comrades,

The South Africa that Nokuthula Simelane fought for – and for which she gave her life – is a nation still in the making.

We have realised much of what she dreamed of. But there is still much to do.

It is what remains undone that makes the Nokuthula Simelane Foundation and this memorial lecture so necessary.

The Nokuthula Simelane Foundation and the Nokuthula Simelane Centre for Gender and Intersectional Studies established here at the University of Mpumalanga are part of our arsenal of memory, remembrance and renewal.

This Centre must carry a living promise that the voices of women, of young people, and of historically marginalised communities will continue to guide the direction of our nation.

It is an affirmation that our universities remain places where difficult questions are asked and where solutions to society’s greatest challenges are developed.

Through the work of this Centre, we must deepen the understanding that gender equality, like racial equality, is not a favour, but a fundamental human right.

Through the work of the Foundation and the Centre, we must encourage the young people of our time to find and to pursue their purpose.

To the Simelane family, our pledge remains.

We will not abandon the search for the truth about what happened to Nokuthula.

We will not rest until she can be laid to rest and until those responsible are held to account.

As the French author Guy de Maupassant wrote: 

“Our memory is a more perfect world than the universe: it gives back life to those who no longer exist.”

Through this Foundation, through this Centre and through this annual lecture, we give life back to Nokuthula Simelane.

Through our daily actions to improve the lives of those around us, we give life back to Nokuthula Simelane.

May her memory strengthen our resolve to build a country that protects human dignity and advances equality for all.

May her memory inspire us to finish the work she started.

May we never rest until we achieve the South Africa of which she dreamed and for which she courageously fought.

I thank you.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in a meeting with the Chairperson of the Eskom Board on Thursday 27 August 2026, reaffirmed South Africa's energy reform path as imperative to achieve an affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity supply for all South Africans.

The President reiterated government’s commitment to establish a fully independent Transmission System Operator (TSO) with ownership and control of transmission assets, to create a level playing field for competition and unlock investment in the electricity sector.

The implementation of the reforms are being developed by the Eskom Restructuring Task Team (ERTT), which will oversee the process, and includes representatives of The Presidency, National Treasury, the Department of Electricity and Energy, Eskom, and the National Transmission Company South Africa.

President Ramaphosa further emphasised that the TSO will remain state-owned, as a strategic national asset serving the public interest.

In response to matters of concern raised by the Eskom Board Chairperson, Mr Mteto Nyati, President Ramaphosa reiterated government's commitment to continue working closely with Eskom, the NTCSA, and other stakeholders to ensure that the reform is implemented in a manner that preserves Eskom’s financial position; ensures that the TSO is able to invest in expanding and strengthening the transmission network, and engages lenders and funders in a transparent and responsible manner.

The Chairperson confirmed the Board’s strong support for the policy direction determined by government and committed to ensuring continued alignment between the Board and shareholder in this regard going forward.

The August 27 meeting followed a recent engagement between President Ramaphosa and the leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers and was in line with the President’s commitment to continued engagement with all affected parties throughout the process.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that the late Justice Fikile Eunice Mokgohloa will be honoured with a Special Official Funeral Category 2 tomorrow, Saturday, 29 August 2026.

Justice Mokgohloa passed away on 20 August 2026, at the age of 65.

President Ramaphosa offers his deep condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the late judge, who has served the nation and the judiciary with distinction, integrity and dedication over the last 20 years.

Justice Mokgohloa was a Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal since June 2019, after serving as Deputy Judge President of the Limpopo Division of the High Court.

She also served as Acting Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Appeal.

President Ramaphosa has paid tribute to Justice Mokgohloa for her contribution to the judiciary and jurisprudence.

The President said: “Judge Mokgohloa has left us at the pinnacle of her commitment to the rule of law and the administration of our courts.

“Her legacy is entrenched in the many landmark judgments she delivered and in her exceptional judicial leadership.

“May her soul rest in peace.”

Justice Mokgohloa will be buried in Pretoria.

The funeral service will take place at 07h30 tomorrow, 29 August, at the Hillsong Church in Wonderboom Pretoria.

The Special Official Funeral Category 2 will feature ceremonial elements provided by the South African Police Service.

President Ramaphosa has directed that the National Flag be flown at half-mast at all flag stations until tomorrow evening, 29 August.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria