Dar Es Salaam: President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to embark on a working visit to Dar Es Salaam in the United Republic of Tanzania on Saturday, to participate in the joint Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) – East Africa Community (EAC) Heads of State and Government Summit on the security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to South African Government News Agency, this was announced on Wednesday by Presidential spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, during a media briefing at the Imbizo Media Centre in Cape Town to update on the President’s programme and address recent developments of interest. Magwenya stated that the Heads of State and Government of SADC and the EAC agreed to meet urgently following their respective extraordinary summits held last month to deliberate on the way forward regarding the security situation in the DRC.
The joint SADC – EAC Summit will be preceded by Senior Officials and Foreign Ministers Meetings taking place on 6 and 7 February 2025. The Extraordinary SADC Summit held last month mandated the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation to engage all State and non-State parties to the conflict on a ceasefire process to protect lives and facilitate a smooth flow of humanitarian support to people and communities affected by the armed conflict. It also urged Political and Diplomatic leaders who are parties to the conflict to engage in a coordinated effort of dialogue, including supporting the Luanda Process, United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and others, to restore peace and security in Eastern DRC.
President Ramaphosa will also deliver his reply to the State of the Nation debate on 13 February 2025. Magwenya said the President looks forward to a constructive and substantively enriching debate that will follow his SONA address.
Furthermore, President Ramaphosa is expected to lead the South African delegation to the 38th African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Assembly will be held under the theme, ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations’, and will review and assess Africa’s efforts towards the attainment of justice and reparations after decades of colonialism and apartheid.
The assembly will be a unique opportunity for President Ramaphosa to brief his counterparts on the key priorities of South Africa’s G20 Presidency and their alignment to Agenda 2063. The high-level meeting on the G20 will take place on 15 February 2025, on the margins of the summit. One of the main objectives of the forthcoming assembly is to elect the new senior leadership of the AU Commission, including the Chairperson and a Deputy Chairperson of the Commission.
In addition, President Ramaphosa will host the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting on 20 February 2025 at the NASREC EXPO Centre, in Gauteng. Issues for discussion include the current geopolitical dynamics, as well as the President’s reflection on South Africa’s G20 Presidency High-Level Deliverables and the Review of the G20 @20. South Africa’s G20 Presidency commenced on 1 December 2024 under the theme, ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’.
President Ramaphosa will also deliver a keynote address on 27 February 2025 at the Basic Education Lekgotla. The Department of Basic Education will host the Basic Education Sector Lekgotla at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre, Johannesburg. The theme of the 2025 Lekgotla is ‘Strengthening foundations for Learning for a resilient future-fit education system’.