Cabinet has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s proclamation of 29 May 2024 as the date for the General Elections, following his consultations with the Electoral Commission of South Africa and all nine provincial Premiers on the state of readiness for the national and provincial elections.

Briefing media on Thursday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni emphasised that Cabinet has called on everyone, especially the youth, to exercise their right to vote.

‘Years of untold sacrifice and struggle for our freedom culminated in the right to vote for the majority of South Africans in 1994. Our struggle for freedom secured the right for every South African to be active participants in our democratic system.

‘This year’s elections coincide with the celebration of 30 Years of Freedom, which is a significant milestone for South Africa, as it provides us with the opportunity to reflect on our successes and also look for solutions to address our surmountable challenges,’ the Minister said.

READ | Landmark
election marks 30 years of electoral democracy

Presidential eThekwini Working Group

Cabinet has also noted President Ramaphosa’s meeting, which was held last Friday with the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry to discuss various initiatives, led by national government, to assist the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality to address the current water, electricity and infrastructure challenges.

‘The President also established the Presidential eThekwini Working Group to accelerate the speedy resolution of issues affecting the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. The group – comprising Ministers, eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and business officials – will regularly present progress reports to the President,’ Cabinet said.

14th Policy Dialogue Forum (PDF) of the International Task Force on Teachers for Education

Cabinet has further noted the country’s successful hosting of the 14th PDF of the International Task Force on Teachers for Education in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Monday, 26 February.

The event
brought together education stakeholders from across the globe to foster advocacy, knowledge exchange and the monitoring of progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.

The Policy Dialogue Forum released a High-Level Panel Report on the Teaching Profession and also launched the Global Report on teacher shortages.

Source: South African Government News Agency