Day: July 22, 2024

On Monday, 22 July, the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, will attend the 8th Session of the Ministerial on Climate Action in Wuhan, China.

On Tuesday, 23 July, the North West Premier, Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi, to table the 2024/25 Budget Vote and Policy Speech for the Office of the Premier before the North West Provincial Legislature.

On Wednesday, 24 July, there are no confirmed events.

On Thursday, 25 July, there are no confirmed events.

On Friday, 26 July, the compulsory induction skills programme, applying labour and dispute approached, 09:00 – 11:00 on Microsoft Teams.

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has brushed off naysayers and reiterated the Government of National Unity’s (GNU) determination to succeed, despite ideological differences and South Africa’s challenges.

‘We are now a Government of National Unity, formed in the cause of rebuilding our nation. We are committed to putting our differences aside and working together for the common good. I’m really pleased that the members of the [GNU] demonstrated a unity of purpose and the commitment they have to advancing the interests of all South Africans during the debate and in what they will be doing as leaders of the [GNU].

‘Behind us are 62 million South Africans who want and need us to succeed. And we will succeed as the [GNU] even though others don’t wish us well, succeed we shall. As Minister [Pieter] Groenewald has said, we have before us an opportunity to restore and build. So let us use this opportunity. In the challenging and difficult times, we live; this unity will be our comfort, the unity that we are forging our co
urage, and it will be our greatest strength.

‘It is time to get South Africa working again,’ the President said on Monday.

The President was delivering his reply to the debate on the Opening of Parliament Address (OPA). President Ramaphosa delivered the OPA on Thursday night followed by a debate by political parties on Friday.

WATCH | President Ramaphosa responds to the debate on the Opening of Parliament Address

New era

He acknowledged that with the results of the May 29 vote, the landscape of South African politics is no longer what it once was.

‘Much of what has been said during this debate has confirmed that we have entered a new era in South African politics. It is an era of hope. It is an era of optimism for the people of our country and for its future. We must demonstrate in word and in deed that this is an era of a government of national unity and not a fleeting convenience.

‘We have had, and will continue to have, points of divergence, as the spirited nature of the debate has demonstrated. At
the same time, we all understand what is expected of us by those who put us here.

‘They expect us to chart this country towards the ultimate goal of a better life for all. Talking to each other and working together and in the end, pulling in the same direction. That direction is towards the implementation of the Medium-Term Development Plan 2024-2029…the programme that will guide the seventh administration.’

Addressing challenges

President Ramaphosa insisted that although South Africa faces a myriad of challenges and obstacles, the country is not a ‘hopeless case’.

‘We are very much alive to the challenges we still face as a country. And yet we must remind ourselves that South Africa is not in the hopeless situation that some in the opposition benches want us to believe and have sought to loudly assert with sound and fury during this debate.

‘South Africa is a country that has come a long way over the past 30 years. Let us never lose sight of that. Certainly, there have been setbacks and shortcomings. Bu
t we have done much to recover from these and are now committed to move forward with greater speed and impact,’ he said.

Shared prosperity

Pressing further, President Ramaphosa added that by working together, the GNU is ‘determined to rapidly scale up the pace of our efforts to bring development and shared prosperity to our people’.

‘And in this effort, as Minister [John] Steenhuisen says, we need the builders, not the breakers or destroyers. We need weavers and not vultures. Those who share this vision of a better South Africa will find the doors of the Government of National Unity always open to cooperation and collaboration.

‘It is expected of us all who have been entrusted with positions of leadership within the Government of National Unity and in this Parliament that we rise to the challenge to be builders and not breakers. We must be at the forefront of building a capable, ethical developmental state, of growing an inclusive economy, and reducing poverty,’ President Ramaphosa said.

Source: South A
frican Government News Agency

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Dr Dion George, has assured of South Africa’s commitment to meeting its undertakings under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement.

George said South Africa is working on its second Nationally Determined Contribution, and the country has also committed to updating and submitting its first Biennial Transparency Report.

‘We will contribute our fair share and not make false promises that we are unable to keep,’ George said.

George was speaking at the Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) Ministerial Meeting held on Sunday, ahead of the 8th Session of the Ministerial Meeting on Climate Action (MoCA) taking place in Wuhan, China.

The Ministers responsible for climate change from the BASIC countries gathered for the bi-annual meeting to discuss key issues related to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations at the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP29).

These includ
e the need to finalise the rules around carbon markets, adaptation indicators, the Just Transition Pathways Work Programme, the Mitigation Work Programme, and the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on finance.

In his opening remarks, George said South Africa is focused on implementing ambitious actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including through the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP).

The implementation of this plan includes actions around electricity, electric vehicles and green hydrogen and, said the Minister, South Africa is interested in partnering with BASIC and other countries towards its implementation.

‘The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with some developed countries is only a small component of our much larger energy transition plan, which in turn is only one sector of the all-of-economy and all-of-society just transition we seek in line with the COP28 UAE Vision.

‘Our Parliament has adopted a Climate Change Bill [and] since 2011, when we outlined South Africa
‘s response to climate change in our National Climate Change Response White Paper, we have been putting in place the components of an integrated response. Now, this Bill will integrate all of these components into a robust legal framework, and mainstream climate action across government,’ George said.

For South Africa, progress is required in terms of emission reduction obligations, adaptation commitments and the means of implementation ‘to ensure that we are on track to achieving the 1.5-degree target, and that support for both adaptation and loss and damage will address all likely outcomes’.

The Minister said the country believes that COP29 should enable enhanced, effective and sustained international cooperation on both adaptation and mitigation (equally treated), to achieve the missing ambition in climate actions to date.

‘Developed countries’ commitment to providing adequate support to developing countries, is key for the Paris Agreement to be truly applicable to all. The global North should ensure no
backtracking on support obligations,’ the Minister said.

Ministerial on Climate Action

Meanwhile, MoCA, which is taking place on 22 -23 July 2024, is a key moment for ministers and senior climate diplomats to gather, coming shortly after the UNFCCC intersessional in June.

The meeting will be a chance to elevate sticky issues in climate negotiations to a higher political level.

MoCA is one of the platforms created at the initiative of individual States in support of the UNFCCC negotiations that seeks to identify issues of convergence and divergence at a political level, with a view to bridge building and exploring potential landing zones ahead of the COP.

Convened by China, the European Union (EU) and Canada, MoCA was initiated in 2017 to support the Paris Agreement and the multilateral climate process.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Equal access to affordable quality health care through the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI), is a key priority for the seventh administration, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.

‘We are unwavering in our commitment to implement universal health coverage in a manner that brings all South Africans on board,’ President Ramaphosa said.

The President was responding to the debate on the Opening of Parliament Address on Monday.

President Ramaphosa said government will continue with dialogues, exchanges and interactions to make the NHI an important programme for the people.

The President also highlighted the country’s report to the United Nations, which noted reductions in maternal, infant and neonatal mortality, and that South Africans are living longer and have better health outcomes.

READ | Government pushes for affordable healthcare for all

The President delivered the Opening of Parliament Address on Thursday and the President’s speech was debated by political parties on Friday.

READ | Pr
esident Ramaphosa signs NHI Bill into law

Education

On inclusive and equitable quality education, President Ramaphosa said the country has made progress with respect to functional literacy and numeracy at primary school level, and in primary school completion rates.

‘Today, more South African children have access to Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Grade R, and secondary school education outcomes continue to steadily improve.

‘The child support grant, no-fee schools and expanded NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme) funding have had a considerable impact on the lives of learners, particularly those from poor families.’

He said these social protection interventions, alongside others, including the Schools Nutrition and Sanitary Dignity Programmes, aimed at female learners, are helping to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

‘They are enabling more children to complete their schooling and to access opportunities after they finish school. One need only look at last year’s matriculatio
n exam results, where learners who were social grant beneficiaries achieved an 81 percent pass rate,’ President Ramaphosa said.

While access to education expands the capabilities of young people, the President noted that it also improves the productive capacity of the economy.

‘Our young people are competing with the world. This is a new world, one that is rapidly changing and being influenced by technological advances.

‘A better educated, better skilled workforce makes our economy more competitive and catalyses growth.’

Greater investment in skills

President Ramaphosa also commended the call for greater investment in skilling young people for the economy of the future, and for young people to be familiar with emerging technologies.

‘Science and technology is going to continue playing an important role in enabling our young people to play a key role in our economy,’ President Ramaphosa said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has arrived in Munich, Germany, ahead of the 25th International AIDS Conference, scheduled to take place from Monday to Friday.

The Deputy Minister will lead the South African delegation at the conference which will be held under the theme: ‘Put people first’.

This year’s conference theme highlights a clarion call for all key role players to strengthen efforts in deepening human rights, providing adequate health care facilities and protecting civil rights.

The AIDS 2024 Conference offers a platform to address persistent challenges which impact negatively on countries’ overall HIV response.

Phaahla is supported by the SA Patron of the Global Alliance for ending AIDS in children by 2030, Humile Mashatile, the SANAC Chief Executive Officer, Dr Thembisile Xulu, Health Department Director General, Dr Sandile Buthelezi, a team of health scientists, civil society activists, social partners as well as senior government officials.

‘This important world’s largest and most
influential conference on HIV/AIDS, will feature discussions on, amongst others, key population-led innovations, artificial intelligence and digital technology in healthcare provision, HIV and climate change, prevention of vertical transformation and also consider lessons from COVID-19 on misinformation,’ the Presidency said in a statement.

In this regard, the SA Global Alliance Patron, Humile Mashatile, will participate in panel discussions focused on ‘Connecting data, programmes and communities with the view to contribute in defining Global Alliance Roadmap to Ending AIDS in Children by 2030’.

Mashatile will also meet with the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima, to outline the strategic plans and programmes developed by key South African role-players, geared towards ending AIDS in Children by 2030.

The Human Sciences research Council (HSRC) of South Africa, which is Africa’s largest dedicated social science and humanities research agency and policy think tank, will utilise the opportunity to p
resent a study on South African HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behavior (SABSSM) survey results.

This critical work by the HSRC signifies an important legacy collection of public data that has contributed to the improvement of lives for citizens.

The Deputy Minister and the delegation will join world activists in confronting challenges and identifying opportunities to accelerate progress in HIV science, policy and initiatives, to foster a more resilient, equitable and sustainable international community.

Source: South African Government News Agency