FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
25 November 2019
Dear Fellow South African,
Last week, I met with the leadership of the Black Business Council where, among other things, we discussed issues of transformation. I took the opportunity to inform them about government’s commitment to transformation and non-racialism. Of all the achievements since the advent of democracy in1994, perhaps our most important is our sustained and unwavering commitment to transformation and non-racialism.
When we embarked upon this journey, we aimed, in the words of our Constitution, ‘to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights’. We knew that we had to build a truly united nation, not merely to replace domination by one with domination by another.
Non-racialism is not the product of a negotiated compromise, but is a fundamental pillar of the new society we are building. It is only through advancing non-racialism that we will be able to reconstruct the fabric of our society and narrow social and economic divisions and build a new democratic society from the ashes of the old that had destroyed the potential of our country. It is a principle we will not abandon.
We know too well what happened when race was used to exclude the majority of South Africans, and we must actively guard against the return of attitudes that presume the colour of one’s skin should confer either privilege or disadvantage.
This is not to say that race can and should be ignored. Our Constitution affirms that we are a nation of diverse cultures, faiths and languages – and protects the right to self-expression and self-identification.
At the same time we also recognise the ‘unfinished business’ of nation-building: which is overcoming the deep divisions that apartheid created in our society. That is why redress continues to be a crucial pillar of government policy, whether it is in land reform, employment equity or in economic transformation. Although we have come a long way since 1994, the occasional expressions of racial and ethnic chauvinism shows that many in our society have yet to overcome what Joe Slovo once termed the ‘psychological barrier’ towards true non-racialism.
Whether it is reflected in the internal dynamics of political parties, in the workplace, or outwardly expressed on the letter pages of newspapers, one finds a reluctance on the part of some to accept that Africans, whites, Indians and coloureds all have an equal right to a seat at the table of our society. As a country, we should not allow ourselves to be led down this dark path. We have witnessed elsewhere in the world the consequences of narrow forms of nationalism based on race or ethnicity. It is not the society we want for ourselves or our children.
Since 1994, we have actively sought to drive transformation through affirmative action and our broad-based black economic empowerment policies, through preferential procurement and initiatives like the Black Industrialists programme.
Within government itself, transformation of the public service to reflect this country’s demography has been critical. As we strive to rebuild the public service – including at our state-owned entities – it is our mission to appoint people who are capable, qualified, ethical and who embody the values of public service, whether they are black or white, men or women.
The significant progress that has been made in the public sector has not been matched by the private sector. The report released by the Commission for Employment Equity in August points, at best, to poor adherence to employment equity legislation, and, at worst, outright disregard for the law.
The upper echelons of management in private companies are still dominated by white men, although they make up just 5% of the economically active population. Africans only make up 15% of top management, despite accounting for 79% of the economically active population. Business needs to urgently do some serious introspection. Our transformative agenda cannot succeed unless we work together to broaden the participation of all South Africans in our economy, and it begins in the workplace.
Poor labour relations is in part fuelled by perceptions – backed up by the Employment Equity report – that black employees are relegated to the factory floor while white employees occupy management roles. This inequity naturally has ugly consequences when it comes to the discrepancy in incomes, where black workers will always earn a fraction of what white workers and managers earn.
Advancing black and female employees must be a cornerstone of any company’s operations. This must move beyond merely ensuring compliance, and towards succession planning, mentoring, training and skills transfer, and towards giving employees a meaningful stake in the companies they work for. Black economic empowerment and affirmative action are important tools to further non-racial transformation.
As we intensify the work we must do to address the injustices of the past – especially in correcting the skewed race and gender composition of our public companies – we must ensure that all South Africans, regardless of colour, have an opportunity to contribute to building a better, fairer and more prosperous nation.
I call upon South Africans to embrace each other as equals, and look beyond their preconceptions of someone merely by looking at their skin colour. Let us move beyond the psychological barrier in the interests of rebuilding this country together.
In the words of Martin Luther King Jnr: “We must learn to live together as brothers (and sisters) or perish together as fools.”
All the best,
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA AT THE LAUNCH OF THE 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM FOR NO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN
25 November 2019
Lephalale Local Municipality, Limpopo
Programme Director,
Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disability, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane,
Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Prof Hlengiwe Mkhize,
Other Ministers present,
Premier of Limpopo, Mr Stan Mathabatha,
Kgosi Sefunelo ka Seleka,
Mayor of Lephalale Municipality, Councillor Jack Maeko,
Members of the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning, Dumelang,
Thank you for allowing me to with you here today in Lephalale as we launch 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children.
This crisis of violence against women and children is a great shame on our nation.
It goes against our African values and everything we stand for as a people.
We grew up being taught that as men and boys we must respect women and protect children.
We were taught to never, ever raise your hand against a woman.
But we have lost our way.
Our communities are in the grip of violence against those we are supposed to protect.
As I stand before you, I invoke the memories of the many women and girls in this province and throughout the country who have suffered from the brutality of men.
We remember 6-year-old Boitumelo Matsekoleng from Serageng village who we buried last month: her young life cut short by a man who raped her and left her for dead.
We remember 11-year-old Thandi Mampane from Ga-Marishane village who went missing from her home in September and whose body was found a week later.
We remember 59-year-old Mama Mphephu Sophie Vukeya, a grandmother from Muswana village, who was attacked while collecting firewood and who died in hospital in June after being raped and beaten.
We remember 2-year-old Samson Sithole from Seraheng village, who was kidnapped, raped and murdered in December last year, and his tiny body thrown into the bush.
These cowardly criminals have absolutely no regard for the sanctity of human life.
They do not discriminate.
The young are attacked, as are the elderly.
Boys are raped and abused, as well as girls.
They impose their toxic masculinity on those who are gay, straight, transgender or bisexual.
We are here today to unite under the theme: “Enough is Enough.”
Because we have truly had enough.
We have heard the calls by our communities, including the people of Lephalale, for government to do more to end gender-based violence.
Two months ago, we announced an Emergency Action Plan that has seen R1.6 billion of government funding reprioritised towards programmes to tackle gender-based violence.
It focuses on improving access to justice for survivors, prevention campaigns to change attitudes and behaviour, measures to strengthen the criminal justice system, and the creation of economic opportunities for women who are vulnerable to abuse.
Since the plan was rolled out, I have been receiving regular weekly updates on our progress.
Key aspects of the plan are being implemented and we are on schedule to meet the six month target.
In September, a new Sexual Offences Court was opened right here in Limpopo in Sibasa and eleven regional courts across all provinces have been identified for upgrade.
New CCTV systems that allow survivors to testify in privacy have been upgraded at 38 regional courts.
The Thuthuzela Care Centres are being expanded, with three new centres planned.
Of the four in Limpopo, only two are fully operational, and we will be working with the NPA to ensure they are all capacitated.
An audit of the country’s 281 designated health facilities is underway to prepare some to adopt the Thuthuzela model.
Provinces are identifying underutilised buildings that can be refurbished and used as shelters.
Four properties in Pretoria have already been refurbished and will open as shelters in the first week of December.
A 100-day rapid results approach to speed up case turnaround times was launched in the Eastern Cape last Friday.
It will be piloted at a number of courts with significant backlogs in the North West, Eastern Cape and here in Limpopo.
We are also working to reduce the gender-based violence case backlogs at forensic laboratories and are developing a tracking mechanism that will be rolled out in January next year.
National and provincial 24-hour call centres to deal with complaints against SAPS and legal officers in matters of gender-based violence are up and running, and we have achieved our target of attending to all complaints within seven days.
A project to reopen unresolved murder and sexual offences cases has already begun in the Eastern Cape and will soon be operational nationally.
The SAPS has allocated 312 new recruits currently undergoing basic training to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units.
Nearly 4,500 SAPS members have also received training on the provision of survivor-centered services.
To date 7,000 rape evidence collection kits have been distributed to police stations countrywide and Limpopo received 700 kits in the first week of this month.
I encourage members of the public to contact the GBV command centre to alert us to stations that do not have them.
Many communities, including the Lephalale community, have told us about personnel shortages at health care facilities.
We are working to address this problem, and the Department of Health is currently conducting an audit of forensic health nurses in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Government employees who work with children and mentally disabled persons are being vetted against the National Register of Sex Offenders.
To date, over 1,200 officials have been vetted, including prosecutors and members of the SAPS.
To ensure that those found guilty of gender-based violence receive punishment proportionate to the seriousness of their crimes, we are in the process of reforming existing laws around bail and sentencing.
At the root of gender-based violence are sexist and patriarchal attitudes.
The national campaign that we are launching here today is aimed at raising awareness around the rights of women and girls, but also at changing the attitudes of men and boys.
Far too many men and boys believe women are inferior, that they are the property of their husbands and fathers, and worse yet, that women and girls ‘deserve’ to be raped because of how they dress, the places they visit, and the friends they keep.
This campaign will complement a wider 365-day, year-round education, awareness and prevention campaign that government will roll out in partnership with civil society.
I will say it again – violence against women is not a problem of women, it is a problem of men.
Our message to those who abuse women has been abundantly clear: there is no place in our society for you.
It is to the good and decent men and boys out there, who would not even dream of hurting, disrespecting or abusing a woman that I direct my message today.
Across this country, there are millions of good husbands and fathers who protect their families and treat their boy and girl children equally.
Who respect their mothers and the elderly women of our communities.
Who are fair bosses who do not discriminate against their female employees.
Who value their female classmates and fellow students.
I call upon you today to join the movement to break the cycle of violence.
It is you who must be positive role models to your sons, and mentor and guide them in their journey to adulthood.
Play your part in raising awareness around the rights of women to your colleagues and your friends.
When you know that your friends or colleagues abuse their wives and girlfriends do not keep quiet in the interests of keeping the peace.
Fellow South Africans,
The success we have registered so far in implementing the Emergency Action Plan is the fruit of collaboration between government, civil society and the private sector.
It demonstrates what we can do if we work together.
We know that gender-based violence affects and impacts us all.
None of us can be impartial or indifferent.
Let us remember the words of German playwright Bertolt Brecht:
“Those who stay at home when the battle begins and leave others to fight for a cause must be aware: because those who did not share the fight will share the defeat.”
We will not be defeated by this scourge. We will turn the tide.
Let us move together, a nation resolute and above all united, to end gender-based violence and femicide forever.
I thank you.
NATIONAL STATEMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA - 40TH SESSION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF UNESCO
NATIONAL STATEMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA PRESENTED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION, MRS ANGELINA MOTSHEKGA, MP AT THE 40TH SESSION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)-PARIS, FRANCE
President of the General Conference
Chairperson of the Executive Board
Director-General of UNESCO
Colleagues and Distinguished Delegates
South Africa wishes to congratulate the President of this Conference, the Permanent Delegate of Turkey, on his election to preside over the work of the 40th Session of the General Conference. We pledge our support, in anticipation of a successful General Conference. Similarly, we express our appreciation to the Director-General for her introduction of the General Policy Debate and the General Conference Secretariat for the preparations for this Session.
Since we successfully deconstructed the vestiges of apartheid, and established a democratic State, based on a culture of human rights and the respect for law, South Africa remains committed to the principle of multilateralism, international law, the advancement of global human rights, as well as the promotion of global peace and security. We are convinced that these tenets are a necessary pre-condition for achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals. Hence, our unwavering support and commitment to international multilateral organisations, such as UNESCO.
Mr President, we wish to remind this 40th Session that during the 39th Session, South Africa fully endorsed the agenda focusing on the transformation and realignment of UNESCO. Once again, we wish to publicly reaffirm our support for the agenda and programmes of UNESCO. As our obligation, we wish to stress the importance of Member States making good of their assessment contributions, which must be paid in full and on time.
During the June 2019 State of the Nation Address, His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa declared “education and skills for a changing world” among South Africa’s topmost priorities. Mr President, we have achieved universal access in basic education, and redressed the inequalities of the fragmented and divisive apartheid education system of the past. We are now focusing on improving the quality, inclusivity and efficiency of the system – paying much attention on, amongst others, learners with Special Education Needs, quality pedagogy; teacher development; reading with meaning, especially in the early grades; and continuing to support the system with the appropriate resources and processes. With regards to the efficiency of the system, we are paying particular attention on improving the retention and progression rates of our learners, with the intention to improve our children’s readiness for the specialised and diversified curriculum offerings and programmes post the basic education phase.
Distinguished Delegates, South Africa continues to make progress in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. After the 2019 General Elections, South Africa broke new grounds – we have 46% women representation in Parliament and Legislatures; and 50% women representation in Cabinet. This puts our country in the eighth position in the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s rankings for women representation in Lower Houses or National Assembly.
To accelerate progress in this area, South Africa has adopted the Gender Responsive Planning; as well as the Budgeting, Monitoring, Evaluation and Auditing Framework in March this year, to institutionalise our country’s gender equality agenda. South Africa is also in the process of finalising the National Strategic Plan to address Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. To meaningfully address gender-based violence and patriarchal behaviour, we implore UNESCO to lead and guide in programmes directed at the boy-child, intended to socialise them differently; so that they don’t perpetuate toxic gender practices that may lead to violence against women, children and the general public.
Mr President, consistent with UNESCO’s commitment to the advancement of human rights, South Africa strongly rejects the decision of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to control the levels of testosterone among female athletes in certain athletic events. It is public knowledge that this decision was targeted at our athletic star, the World Champion, Caster Semenya. This decision is discriminatory, and is a violation of the dignity of Caster Semenya and many other female athletes in a similar situation. We call on UNESCO, which we believe has a moral and legal obligation, to join the World Association for Medical Doctors in explicitly rejecting the unjust and unfair IAAF Regulations.
Mr President, we are pleased to announce that we have ratified the Revised Addis Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees and Other Academic Qualification in Higher Education in Africa; and we support the adoption of the Global Convention by the 40th Session of the General Conference. This Convention will be a welcome relief to the more than 5 million students, who are studying abroad; and the 2.5 million who are studying outside their regions. Importantly, this Convention will facilitate the movement of both students and academics across the regions; improve the quality of education through the exchange of knowledge and expertise; and enhance international cooperation, especially in higher education and training as well as research innovations.
Distinguished Guests, the World we live in, is fast changing; and we are called upon to lead in addressing the renaissance of the 4th Industrial Revolution and its contemporaneous digital innovations. South Africa is hard at work to join the nations of the world in the strategic and systematic roll-out of ICTs as our direct response to the 4th Industrial Revolution. The best practices we continue to learn from the developed and developing worlds, including the African Continent and the Diaspora, on the strategic roll-out of the ICTs, have been invaluable indeed. We therefore encourage the elaboration of the Ethical Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Open Science, which we believe will serve to bridge the digital divide; while also ensuring the protection of intellectual property rights.
Mr President, despite Africa’s rich cultural heritage and endowment, it is regrettable that the Continent remains underrepresented on the World Heritage List. South Africa’s election to the World Heritage Committee will afford us the opportunity to work with other partners in addressing this imbalance. South Africa hosts the African World Heritage Fund – a UNESCO Category 2 Centre. We therefore, call on Member States to support Africa in this endeavour, by contributing to the African World Heritage Fund.
In conclusion, the 2030 Agenda sets new targets in the areas of education, science and culture, which must be achieved through the collective wisdom in UNESCO. We strongly contend that by simply addressing the underperformance of education systems in the developing world, we will be in a better position to fight the triple evil of unemployment, poverty and inequality. We applaud the inclusion, among many, of accessible, equitable and quality ECD programmes: basic, technical-vocational and technical-occupational education; as well as higher education, science and research innovations to the Education 2030 Agenda.
Finally, Mr President and Distinguished Delegates, we wish to thank the International Bureau of Education (IBE) in collaboration with the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) for inviting us to the 10th World Congress of Neuroscience in Daegu, South Korea. We have already begun to integrate the good practices from the 10th Congress into our learning and teaching strategies. We also wish to acknowledge with appreciation UNESCO’s support on the topical Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) we will implement in our schools as of 2021.
I thank you.
PRESIDENT WELCOMES BRICS COMMITMENT TO MULTILATERALISM
15 November 2019
President Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded a working visit to Brasilia in the Federative Republic of Brazil where he participated in the 11th BRICS Summit on 13 and 14 November 2019.
At the conclusion of his visit, the President drew particular attention to the reconfirmation by leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa of their shared commitment to a strong multilateral system that is properly governed.
The President said this commitment, along with BRICS’ stated intent to promote trade among member states and play a key role in the growth of the world economy, constituted a notable positive outcome for the Summit which was themed “BRICS: Economic Growth for an Innovative Future”.
BRICS is an association of five major emerging countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - which together represent about 42% of the global population, 23% of global GDP, 30% of the planet’s territory and 18% of global trade.
President Ramaphosa said benefits arising from BRICS membership were evident across all partner countries with South Africa playing host to Brazilian bus manufacturers, Russian train manufacturers, Indian automotive companies and Chinese machinery producers.
“Each of the BRICS countries has South African fruit and vegetables on their tables, buildings constructed from South African metals and factories fitted with South African machinery and electronics,” said President Ramaphosa.
President Ramaphosa attributed these benefits to the BRICS strategy for economic partnership and the work of the BRICS Business Council.
The President said the Council promoted economic growth, especially through intra-BRICS trade and was able to identify nodes of economic growth.
In this regard the President stated the Council had already identified a number of projects in infrastructure development, agriculture, renewable energy, agro processing, mining and a range of other projects that would positively influence the economies of BRICS countries.
The President said that the Council would ensure the New Development Bank or financial institutions financed these projects.
The President tabled the formation of the New Development Bank as another notable positive outcome of the BRICS association, as demonstrated by the bank’s strong capital base and projects already underway in all member states, with South Africa allocated $2. 5 billion.
President Ramaphosa was accompanied by First Lady Dr Tshepo Motsepe, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor, Minister of Trade and Industry Mr Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Health Dr Zwelini Mkhize and Minister of State Security Ms Ayanda Dlodlo.
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
PRESIDENT LAUNCH TSHWANE AUTOMOTIVE HUB
President Cyril Ramaphosa on, Tuesday, 5 November 2019, officially launched the Tshwane Automotive Hub at the Ford Motor Company in Silverton, Pretoria.
The Automotive Hub is an outcome of the Investment Conference held in October 2018 where the automotive industry pledged investment, transformation and localisation in fulfilment of commitments in the Automotive Master Development Plan 2035.
The Tshwane Automotive hub is expected to help the country attract new automotive component manufacturers, while also strengthening the City of Tshwane’s positioning as an automotive city.
Ford SA will be the anchor tenant of the hub, crowding in new investments and localisation opportunities for component manufacturers. It is estimated that the hub has the potential to create more than 5 000 jobs once fully operational. It is also estimated that the hub will result in a number of new business opportunities to nearby communities such as Eesterust, Moretele View, Nellmapius and Mamelodi.
The automotive hub, which is part of the expansion of the OR Tambo International Airport Special Economic Zone (SEZ), will be developed through a joint partnership between the Department of Trade and Industry, Gauteng Provincial Government and the City of Tshwane.
SEZs are an initiative of the South African Government, aimed at repositioning the country in the world economy and have become global tools for social and economic transformation, resulting in exponential growth when deployed. The programme’s main focus is to attract foreign direct investment and grow exports of value-added commodities.