Ministers,
Business leaders,
Chief executives of State-owned enterprises,
Directors-General,
Representatives of labour and civil society,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

We gather today not merely to extend the Government-Business Partnership, but to raise its level of ambition.

This partnership was born at a moment of crisis. Since then, it has become an instrument of inclusive growth and economic transformation. This partnership has gone through a number of distinct but interlinked and interrelated phases.

Phase One was about stabilisation.

Phase Two was about reform.

Phase Three must be about growth.

The Partnership must be about converting the progress we have made into investment, productive activity and jobs.

It must be about ensuring that economic recovery is felt not only in improved balance sheets, stronger markets and favourable economic indicators, but in the lives of the South African people.

This partnership was established in 2023 at a moment of great difficulty for our country.
Rolling load shedding was causing immense damage to businesses, households and public institutions.
The deteriorating performance of our railways and ports was constraining exports, disrupting supply chains and weakening our competitiveness.

South Africa’s grey-listing by the Financial Action Task Force exposed serious weaknesses in our systems for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Confidence in the country’s economic prospects was under severe strain.
Government and business therefore came together around a common purpose: to address the most immediate constraints on growth and to restore confidence in South Africa’s future.

This partnership was founded on a simple but powerful principle.

There are challenges that government must lead in resolving. There are investments and capabilities that only business can mobilise. There are reforms that require the support of labour and the participation of communities.

And there are national challenges that none of us can overcome on our own.

This partnership does not transfer the responsibilities of government to business.

It does not blur the distinction between public authority and private interest.

Rather, it brings together the respective capabilities of government and business in pursuit of clearly defined national objectives.

It recognises that the state must govern, regulate and deliver.

It recognises that business must invest, innovate, produce and create employment.

And it recognises that both government and business have a shared responsibility to build a more inclusive economy and a more equal society.

We have learned through this partnership that when we agree on the problem, establish clear priorities, mobilise the necessary expertise and hold each other accountable, we can make meaningful progress.

This lesson has relevance beyond our borders.

Last week, South Africa hosted the 46th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government.

The Summit focused on the actions needed to deepen regional integration, advance industrialisation, expand trade and create employment.

Southern Africa faces substantial challenges.

These include the growing impact of climate change on food and water security, constrained economic growth, high youth unemployment and the continuing threat of disease outbreaks and pandemics.

Yet ours is also a region of immense promise.

We possess extensive agricultural land, abundant renewable energy resources, significant reserves of critical minerals and a young and increasingly connected population.

Southern Africa is well positioned to benefit from the green energy transition, the digital revolution and the reorganisation of global production and trade.

But potential does not become prosperity by itself.

It requires sound policy, capable institutions, efficient infrastructure, regional value chains and investment on a far greater scale.

No country can sustain prosperity within a region that is stagnant.

Our national economic recovery must therefore contribute to the industrial development and economic integration of the entire Southern African region.

This is another reason why partnerships between governments and business are so important.

Over the last three years, the Government-Business Partnership has demonstrated what focused collaboration can achieve.

In energy, government established the Energy Action Plan and the National Energy Crisis Committee to restore energy security and reform the electricity sector.

Business mobilised technical expertise and resources in support of Eskom, while investing substantially in new generation capacity.

South Africa has now gone for more than a year without load shedding.

Power station performance has improved, and a substantial pipeline of private investment in new generation has been established.

Important steps have also been taken towards the creation of a competitive electricity market.

These include granting a Market Operator Licence to the National Transmission Company South Africa and approving new Grid Capacity Allocation Rules.

These achievements are significant.
But we must not confuse the absence of load shedding with the completion of energy reform.

We still need to expand the transmission grid, bring new generation capacity online, address the crisis in municipal electricity distribution and ensure that electricity remains affordable for households and businesses.

In freight logistics, government established the National Logistics Crisis Committee and adopted the Freight Logistics Roadmap.

The decline in rail and port performance has been arrested, and freight volumes are beginning to recover.

Rail access agreements have been concluded with 11 private train-operating companies.

This marks an important step towards a more competitive freight rail system, in which public infrastructure is strengthened through additional investment and operating capacity.

Here too, the work is far from complete.
Our mines, farms and factories depend on railways and ports that operate efficiently, reliably and at globally competitive cost.

In the fight against crime and corruption, government established an intergovernmental task team to address the weaknesses identified by the Financial Action Task Force.

The removal of South Africa from the FATF grey list in October 2025 was a major achievement.

It strengthened the integrity of our financial system and sent an important signal to investors and international partners.

The establishment of Digital Forensics South Africa is another important development.

It will help strengthen the capacity of the state to investigate complex financial crimes and corruption using modern technology and specialised expertise.

Our work in this area must now move beyond compliance.

We must increase the investigation and successful prosecution of serious commercial crimes, recover stolen assets and dismantle the criminal networks that are damaging our institutions and our economy.

In Phase Two, the partnership expanded its focus to youth employment.

This recognised that unemployment—and particularly youth unemployment—is the greatest social and economic crisis confronting our country.

Government and business worked together to expand access to the SA Youth platform and the Youth Employment Service.

The backlog in the Global Business Services incentive was addressed, contributing to the creation of more than 26,000 jobs in that sector in 2025 alone.

The partnership also focused on employment-intensive sectors such as tourism and the digital economy.

These interventions have opened opportunities for many young people.

But they have not yet reached the scale demanded by the crisis we face.

We must be honest about the distance we still have to travel.

Despite the progress made in energy, logistics, crime and corruption, and youth employment, our economy continues to grow below the level required to reduce unemployment on a sustained basis.

For the millions of South Africans who cannot find work, economic recovery remains an abstract idea.

For a young person who has never held a job, progress must mean an opportunity to work.

For a small business struggling to survive, reform must mean reliable electricity, efficient municipal services and access to finance and markets.

For a farmer, progress must mean water security, functioning roads and railways, effective biosecurity and access to domestic and international markets.

For workers and communities, growth must mean rising incomes, greater security and a fair share in the country’s prosperity.

The true measure of reform is not the number of policies we announce.

It is the change that reform produces in people’s lives.

There are encouraging indications that our economy is moving in the right direction.
South Africa has received sovereign credit-rating upgrades.

Bond yields have improved, the rand has strengthened and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange has performed well.

These developments reflect growing confidence in the direction of our reform programme.

But confidence is not an end in itself.

Confidence must lead to investment.

Investment must lead to production.

Production must lead to jobs.

And jobs must lead to better lives.

Government has placed economic growth at the centre of its programme.

We are implementing the Plan for Growth and Inclusion and the Industrial Development Strategy of 2026.

We have set a new ambition to mobilise R3 trillion in investment.

Through Operation Vulindlela, we are accelerating structural reform in electricity, freight logistics, water, telecommunications and the visa system.

These measures are establishing the foundations for stronger growth.

Phase Three of the Government-Business Partnership must now build upon these foundations.

Its central framework is Inclusive Growth, Jobs and Confidence.

Our immediate objective is to lift economic growth above 3 per cent.

But growth of 3 per cent cannot be the summit of our ambition.

It is a necessary threshold from which we must advance towards higher, sustained and more inclusive growth.

The composition of growth matters as much as its rate.

We need growth that is labour-intensive.

We need growth that expands our industrial capacity.

We need growth that supports small and medium enterprises, black industrialists, women-owned businesses and businesses owned by young people.

We need growth that reaches rural communities, townships and smaller towns.

For this reason, Phase Three should expand the partnership’s work into tourism, agriculture and agro-processing, and mining.

These sectors have been selected because they have significant potential to attract investment, earn foreign revenue, strengthen localisation and create employment at scale.

Tourism is one of the fastest ways to generate jobs across a wide range of skills. Every additional visitor supports employment in accommodation, transport, food services, entertainment, retail and the creative industries.

Our task is to remove the barriers holding the sector back.

We must improve air access, modernise visa processing, strengthen destination marketing, enhance tourist safety and expand investment in tourism infrastructure.

We must ensure that the benefits of tourism extend beyond the established destinations to our villages, townships, small towns, heritage sites and national parks.

Agriculture and agro-processing have the potential to create jobs across the country and strengthen our food security.

We must address the constraints relating to water, transport, biosecurity, agricultural finance and access to markets.

We must build competitive agro-processing value chains that enable us to export more processed products rather than only raw agricultural commodities.

We must accelerate land reform in a way that expands production and creates a new generation of successful black commercial farmers.

We must connect smallholder and emerging farmers to finance, technology, extension services, commercial supply chains and export markets.

Mining remains one of the foundations of our economy.

The global transition to cleaner energy is creating unprecedented demand for the critical minerals that South Africa and the broader region possess.

We must take advantage of this opportunity.

This requires a modern, transparent and efficient mining-rights system, reliable electricity, improved rail and port infrastructure, greater exploration and stronger action against illegal mining and organised crime.

It also requires greater beneficiation, meaningful community participation and increased opportunities for junior miners and black-owned mining companies.

The expansion into these sectors does not mean that we will reduce our focus on energy, logistics, crime and corruption, and youth employment.

We cannot declare victory while critical reforms remain incomplete.

In Phase Three, we must deepen implementation, embed the reforms already undertaken and ensure that progress cannot be reversed.

This phase must be defined by disciplined execution.

Every workstream must have clear objectives, measurable targets, firm timelines and accountable leaders.

Progress must be monitored regularly and reported transparently.

Where implementation falls behind, we must intervene rapidly.

Where policies or regulations are holding back investment without serving a legitimate public purpose, they must be reviewed.

Where institutional capacity is weak, it must be strengthened.

And where corruption or vested interests obstruct progress, they must be confronted.

We must maintain the highest standards of governance and public integrity.

The partnership must operate transparently, within the law and in the public interest. There can be no special favours, no privileged access and no weakening of the state’s regulatory responsibilities.

The credibility of this partnership depends not only on what it delivers, but on how it delivers.

Business also has an important responsibility.

As confidence improves, South African businesses must invest.

They must expand production, open new markets, develop local suppliers and create jobs.

They must support transformation not merely as a compliance requirement, but as an economic necessity.

An economy cannot reach its full potential while the majority of its people remain excluded from ownership, opportunity and decision-making.

Companies must invest in skills, support small businesses, pay suppliers on time and open procurement opportunities to new entrants.

They must give young people their first chance to enter the world of work.

Government, for its part, must provide policy certainty, efficient regulation, capable institutions and reliable public infrastructure.

We must improve the ease of doing business while protecting workers, communities and the environment.

We must build a professional and ethical public service and strengthen the rule of law.

Above all, we must act with urgency.

South Africans cannot live on the promise of future growth.

They need to experience progress in the present.

They are looking to us to demonstrate that partnership can produce results, that reform can improve lives and that growth can restore hope.

The establishment of Phase Three is therefore both an expression of confidence and an acceptance of responsibility.

We have shown that we can stabilise.
We have shown that we can reform.
We must now show that we can grow.
We must show that growth can create employment on a scale that changes the prospects of an entire generation.
We must show that transformation and growth are not competing objectives, but mutually reinforcing imperatives.

Government cannot build this economy alone.

Business cannot build it alone.
Labour cannot build it alone.
Civil society cannot build it alone.

But by working together—while respecting our distinct roles and responsibilities—we can build an economy that is more competitive, more inclusive and more resilient.

We can build an economy in which every South African has the opportunity to work, to participate, to prosper and to hold a meaningful stake.

Let us make Phase Three the phase in which confidence becomes investment, investment becomes jobs and growth becomes shared prosperity.

Let us proceed with urgency, discipline and a common purpose.

I thank you.

His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa will, on Friday, 21 August 2026, host His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the Republic of Zimbabwe for the Fourth Session of the South Africa–Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Pretoria.

Established in April 2015, the BNC serves as the central mechanism for managing and advancing the strategic partnership between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

To date, more than 33 agreements and memoranda of understanding have been concluded between the two countries across various areas of cooperation.

The Fourth Session will provide an opportunity for the two Heads of State to review progress in implementing existing bilateral commitments and to identify opportunities to further strengthen relations between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Discussions will focus on deepening bilateral cooperation across key areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, infrastructure, economic development and other areas that contribute to shared growth and development.

The Session will culminate in the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding aimed at further expanding bilateral cooperation in strategic areas.

The Heads of State Meeting will be preceded by a Ministerial Meeting, following the Senior Officials Meeting of the Fourth Session of the BNC, which took place yesterday, Tuesday, 18 August 2026. The Ministerial and Senior Officials Meetings serve to prepare matters for consideration by the two Heads of State.

MEDIA PROGRAMME
Ministerial Meeting
Date: Thursday, 20 August 2026
Time:  08h00
Venue: OR Tambo Building, Pretoria

Heads of State Meeting
Date: Friday, 21 August 2026
Time: 08h00
Venue: Department of International Relations, OR Tambo Building, Pretoria

MEDIA ACCREDITATION: Members of the media wishing to cover the Fourth Session of the South Africa–Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission are invited to apply for accreditation by completing the attached accreditation spreadsheet and submitting it to MavusoB@dirco.gov.za 

Further details regarding media access and the programme will be communicated to accredited media.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in terms of section 221 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, and section 8 of the Financial and Fiscal Commission Act, 1997, appointed Mr. Nhlanhla Musa Nene as Chairperson, and Ms. Malijeng Ngqaleni as Deputy Chairperson, of the Financial and Fiscal Commission (FFC).

In addition, the President appointed Ms. Bulelwa Dygrecia Nqadolo, Advocate Neo Khethang Tsholanku, Mr. Andrew Robert Donaldson and Ms. Astrid Ludin as members of the Commission.

The appointments are for a period of five years, effective from the date of assumption of office. Furthermore, the Chairperson serves as a full-time member, while the Deputy Chairperson and the other members serve on a part-time basis.

Mr. Nene is a former Minister of Finance. He has also served as a Member of Parliament, as Deputy Minister of Finance, and as a member of the Local Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa.

Ms. Ngqaleni is currently a member of the Commission. She is a former Deputy Director-General: Intergovernmental Relations at the National Treasury, where she was also the Chief Director: Provincial and Local Government Infrastructure and Director: Provincial Budget and Policy Analysis.

Ms. Nqadolo was previously a Deputy Director-General: Municipal Financial Governance, Deputy Director-General/Chief Financial Officer, Chief Director/Chief Financial Officer at the Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury and also served as Director: Financial Administration at the Eastern Cape.

Adv. Tsholanku serves as Head of Corporate: Legal Services at the South Africa Revenue Service (SARS). He is the former Head of Criminal Investigations at SARS, and a General Manager: Legal and Compliance, Chief Legal Advisor, Legal Team Manager at Eskom, and Senior Legal Advisor at the South African Broadcasting Corporation. He was a Practicing Advocate and also served as a Public Prosecutor.

Mr. Donaldson is a Senior Research Associate of University of Cape Town Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit. He is a former Deputy Director-General of the National Treasury, responsible for the Budget Office and Public Finance, and served as the Acting Head of the Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC).

Ms. Ludin was a Deputy Commissioner at the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), where she was responsible for oversight over financial markets and retirement fund supervision, as well as the digital transformation of the FSCA. 

She is the President of the International Organisation of Pension Supervisors (IOPS). In addition, Ms. Ludin held senior positions in several regulatory and policy institutions, including serving as the Commissioner at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, a Deputy Director-General at the Department of Trade and Industry and a Deputy Commissioner at the Competition Commission and was a Senior Advisor at the Prudential Authority.

Their expertise, experience and institutional memory will add enormous value to the Commission.

The Commission's primary objective is to make recommendations to Parliament, the provincial legislatures, local government and other organs of state on financial and fiscal matters as envisaged in the Constitution and other national legislation.

President Ramaphosa congratulates Mr. Nene, Ms. Ngqaleni, Ms. Nqadolo, Adv. Tsholanku, Mr. Donaldson and Ms. Ludin and wishes them all the best in their new responsibilities.

Furthermore, the President expresses his appreciation for the former Chairperson of the Commission, Dr. Patience Nombeko Mbava, for her dedication and expertise and during her term of office.

 

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Programme Director,
Your Majesties,
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,
Honourable Ministers, Ambassadors and High Commissioners,
The Executive Secretary of SADC, Mr Elias Magosi,
Heads of Delegation,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have come to the conclusion of the 46th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community.

This Summit has reaffirmed something fundamental: the future prosperity, security and development of our countries are inseparable from the prosperity, security and development of our region as a whole.

Our meeting today was preceded by a rich programme of engagements, including a successful SADC Industrialisation Week, meetings of Senior Officials and the Council of Ministers, and a public lecture that stimulated important discussion on the future of regional integration and development.

These engagements laid a strong foundation for our deliberations and demonstrated the value of drawing governments, business, labour, academia, young people and civil society into the work of building our region.

I wish to express my appreciation for the political commitment demonstrated by all Member States throughout this Summit.

Our discussions have reflected a shared determination to strengthen regional integration, deepen solidarity and act collectively in confronting the challenges facing our Community.

During this Summit, we reviewed progress in implementing the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan and advancing SADC Vision 2050.

We considered the peace and security situation in our region, including developments in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northern Mozambique and Madagascar.

We reaffirmed our commitment to peaceful solutions, dialogue, constitutionalism and the resolution of conflict through regional and multilateral cooperation.

We advanced discussions on trade, infrastructure, energy, industrialisation and regional value chains.

Above all, we reaffirmed that the ultimate measure of regional integration must be the improvement it brings to the lives of the people of Southern Africa.

Your Majesties,
Your Excellencies,

We welcome the adoption of the theme of this Summit, which rightly places the acceleration of industrialisation at the centre of our regional agenda.

Industrialisation is not an end in itself.

It is the means through which we must create jobs, expand productive capacity, beneficiate our minerals, strengthen agriculture and agro-processing, develop new technologies and build competitive regional value chains.

Our region is richly endowed.

We have minerals that are critical to the industries of the future. We have vast agricultural potential. We have abundant renewable energy resources. We have a young population and a growing market.

Our task is to convert these endowments into factories, farms, enterprises, skills, exports and jobs.

For this to happen, we are committed to build the infrastructure that binds our economies together.

South Africa will therefore place infrastructure development at the centre of its Chairship of SADC.

A major focus will be the development and efficient functioning of our regional corridors.

We intend to make these corridors arteries of regional integration – connecting our centres of production to markets, linking landlocked countries to ports and enabling goods, services and people to move across our region more efficiently and at lower cost.

We therefore call on corridor countries to conclude and implement the necessary legal and institutional arrangements required to operationalise these corridors.

We must accelerate the establishment of the identified One-Stop Border Posts.

A truck carrying goods across Southern Africa should not spend days waiting at a border.

Our borders must facilitate legitimate trade and movement while maintaining effective security and customs controls.

We will take steps to revitalise our railway networks, expand and modernise our ports and improve the roads and logistics systems that connect our economies.

We know that without efficient infrastructure, there can be no competitive regional economy.

The same applies to energy.

We are determined to work towards increasing access to electricity across our region to at least 85 percent by 2030.

But access alone is not enough.

Our households and businesses need electricity that is reliable, affordable and increasingly generated from the diverse energy resources with which our region is blessed.

We will strengthen regional electricity interconnection and accelerate investment in generation and transmission infrastructure so that energy can move efficiently between our countries.

We will  bring the same urgency to water and sanitation.

We will ensure that our people still do have reliable access to clean water and adequate sanitation.

Investment in water, sanitation, energy and transport infrastructure is not simply investment in physical assets.

It is investment in human dignity, economic opportunity and the future productive capacity of our region.

Your Excellencies,

None of these ambitions can be achieved without financing.

We will therefore strengthen our ability to mobilise domestic, regional and international resources for the implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan and SADC Vision 2050.

We will proceed without undue delay to operationalise the SADC Regional Development Fund.

We intend to increase to  mobilise our own resources to finance our own development priorities, while continuing to build productive partnerships with international financial institutions, development partners and the private sector.

The deliberations of this Summit leave us encouraged.

But our citizens will ultimately judge us not by the number of resolutions we adopt, but by the difference those resolutions make in their daily lives.

The challenge before us is therefore implementation.

We have developed strategies.

We have established institutions.

We have identified the infrastructure we need.

We have agreed on many of the reforms required to deepen regional integration.

We must now accelerate implementation.

We must measure our progress not only in meetings held and agreements signed, but in kilometres of railway rehabilitated, megawatts of electricity generated and transmitted, border-crossing times reduced, factories established, intra-regional trade expanded and jobs created.

That must be the defining character of the next phase of SADC’s development.

Your Majesties,
Your Excellencies,

Southern Africa has all the ingredients required to become one of the world’s great regions of growth and opportunity.

We have the resources.

We have the people.

We have the institutions.

And, as this Summit has demonstrated, we have the political will to work together.

What is required now is to turn that political will into action.

On behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, I extend my sincere gratitude to all Heads of State and Government and every delegation for your constructive participation, your spirit of cooperation and your unwavering commitment to our shared SADC vision.

I thank the Executive Secretary and the SADC Secretariat, our Ministers and officials, interpreters, security personnel and everyone whose dedication and hard work contributed to the successful hosting of this Summit.

As you return to your respective countries, I wish you safe travels.

Let us leave eThekwini with renewed determination to build a Southern Africa in which our borders connect rather than divide us; in which our resources are transformed into prosperity; and in which the benefits of regional integration are felt in the lives of all our people.

Let us build a Southern Africa that is peaceful, integrated, industrialised and prosperous.

And let us build it together.

I thank you.
 

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday, 20 August 2026, launch Phase 3 of the Government-Business Partnership, an economic partnership aimed at driving reforms, boosting investment and creating jobs.

The President will convene Ministers and senior business leaders to set out a shared plan to accelerate economic growth and strengthen South Africa’s position as an investment destination.

Phase 2 of the Partnership delivered measurable results. South Africa has now gone more than a year without loadshedding, while rail freight volumes have improved significantly and port performance has strengthened.

The country has also successfully exited the FATF Grey List, while both S&P and Fitch have upgraded South Africa’s credit rating.

Phase 3 will focus on converting this renewed confidence into sustained economic growth and create meaningful job opportunities, while further strengthening South Africa’s investment case.

The Government-Business partnership will retain its focus on tackling crime and corruption, expanding youth employment and embedding the outstanding reforms in energy, transport and logistics sectors.

Members of the media are invited as follows:
Date: Thursday, 20 August 2026
Time: 12h00
Venue: Summer Place, 69 Melville Road, Hyde Park, Johannesburg

NOTE TO MEDIA: Members of the media wishing the cover the event are must send their details to Shadi Baloyi on shadi@presidency.gov.za or 072 571 6415 by no later than Tuesday,18 August 2026, at 15h00.

Access to the venue will be granted to ONLY accredited media.

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

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

Programme Director,
Our honoured guests, the First Ladies of SADC, 
Representatives of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government,
Chief Executive Officer of the Early Care Foundation, Ms. Ipeleng Mohlala,
Representatives of civil society organisations,
Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Afternoon.

Allow me to begin by extending a warm welcome to you all to South Africa, and to the beautiful province of KwaZulu-Natal, as we gather on the margins of the 46th SADC Summit.

I extend a special and heartfelt welcome to the First Ladies. 

Your presence here today reflects the strength of our regional solidarity and our shared commitment to improving the lives of women and children across Southern Africa.

As leaders and advocates, we understand that the future of our region depends on the opportunities we create for our youngest citizens today. Early Childhood Development (ECD) is not simply a social investment; it is one of the most powerful foundations for human development, economic growth, and social cohesion.

In South Africa, we have made important progress in expanding access to early learning opportunities. However, we remain acutely aware of the challenges that still confront us. 

Today, approximately 3.5 million young children in our country are not accessing early learning programmes. Behind this number are children whose potential remains untapped and families who require greater support to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Encouragingly, there is strong political will in South Africa to address these challenges. 

Early Childhood Development has been recognised as a national priority in our National Development Plan 2030, which acknowledges that investing in young children is critical to breaking cycles of poverty, reducing inequality, and building a more prosperous and inclusive society. 

This recognition provides a powerful foundation for collaborative action and demonstrates our country's commitment to ensuring that every child receives the best possible start in life.

As we engage today, let us be guided by our shared vision for Africa's children and by the conviction that quality early childhood development is not a privilege, but a right. By working together, and by building on the commitments outlined in South Africa's National Development Plan 2030 and similar regional aspirations, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and realise their full potential.

I would like to acknowledge the remarkable leadership and dedication of South Africa's Department of Basic Education, which continues to drive the transformation and expansion of the early childhood development sector. Through its commitment to improving quality, registration, funding, and access, the Department is helping to create pathways for more children to benefit from quality early learning experiences.

I also wish to recognize the invaluable contribution of civil society organisations, many of whom work tirelessly in communities every day to support children, families, practitioners, and early learning programmes. Their innovation, commitment, and deep community connections have been instrumental in advancing the ECD agenda.

We are equally grateful to local government structures that play a critical role in creating enabling environments for ECD services, as well as to private sector partners whose investments and collaborations continue to strengthen and expand opportunities for young children.

This collective effort demonstrates what is possible when we unite around a common purpose: ensuring that every child, regardless of where they are born or the circumstances of their family, has access to quality care, protection, nutrition, and early learning.

I will now hand over to Ms. Ipeleng Mohlala from the Early Care Foundation, a South African non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of Early Childhood Development (ECD) services for young children, particularly in underserved communities.
 
Through training, mentoring, and capacity-building programmes, the Foundation supports ECD principals and practitioners to provide safe, nurturing, and stimulating learning environments. 

For over 35 years, Early Care Foundation has worked to strengthen early learning opportunities, empowering children to reach their full potential and laying a strong foundation for lifelong success.

Our nation’s founding father, President Nelson Mandela, whose birthday we celebrated last month, reminded us that “there can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

These words ring as true today as when he said them. They are an inspiration, but above all they are a call to action.

It is my hope that our discussions will strengthen partnerships across our region, encourage the sharing of knowledge and best practices, and inspire greater action to advance the wellbeing of young children throughout the SADC region.

Once again, thank you for joining us and for your continued dedication to building a brighter future for Africa's children.

Together, let us reaffirm our commitment to giving every child the strongest possible start in life.

I thank you.  
 

Programme Director, 
Your Majesties,
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, 
Chairperson of the African Union Commission, His Excellency Mahmoud Ali Youssouf,
Executive Secretary of SADC, Mr Elias Magosi,
Honourable Ministers, Ambassadors and High Commissioners,
Heads of Delegation,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
On behalf of the Government and the people of South Africa, we accept the honour of being elected Chairperson of SADC with great humility and a deep sense of responsibility.
 
As a nation, we owe a debt of gratitude to the members of SADC and its predecessor, the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference, for their contribution to the achievement of democracy in our country.
 
Our participation in SADC is founded on this history. 
 
It is sustained by an abiding conviction that progress in our region will be secured only through unity, cooperation and solidarity.
 
I once again extend my gratitude and appreciation to my brother His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and outgoing Chairperson of SADC, for his leadership.
 
I am also grateful to the SADC Secretariat, led by the Executive Secretary, for supporting and enabling the transformational agenda of our Community.
 
During our Chairship of SADC, we pledge to work closely with every Member State, guided by the principles of sovereign equality, mutual respect and consensus building.
 
We will continue to build on the work of the previous Chairpersons of SADC, who have led our Community with vision and dedication.
 
We will take forward the progress that has been made towards the achievement of our Vision 2050 and the implementation of the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan.
 
We will seek greater integration of our economies, building ties of trade and investment that drive resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation.
 
Working together with all Member States, we will promote peace, security and stability in our region, which are essential conditions for the well-being and development of our people.
 
As the Government and the people of South Africa, we are determined that through our Chairship and through our continued participation in SADC, we will be worthy of the struggles that were fought by the members of this Community for the achievement of our freedom.
 
I thank you.
 

Programme Director, 
Your Majesties, 
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, 
Chairperson of the African Union Commission, His Excellency Mahmoud Ali Youssouf,
Executive Secretary of SADC, Mr Elias Magosi, 
Honourable Ministers, 
Ambassadors and High Commissioners, 
Heads of Delegation, 
Distinguished Guests, 
Ladies and Gentlemen, 
Sanibonani. Good morning.

On behalf of the Government and the people of South Africa, I extend a warm welcome to you all. 

We welcome you to our country, to the province of KwaZulu-Natal and to the beautiful city of eThekwini. 

You have come not as strangers or visitors, but as brothers and sisters, as partners and as fellow custodians of a shared Southern African destiny. 

We hope that during your time here, you will experience the warmth, friendship and hospitality of the people of South Africa. 

Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, 

We meet in a city that occupies a special place in the history of African unity. 

It was here in Durban, 24 years ago, that the African Union was officially launched. 

That historic gathering marked Africa’s determination to move from the struggle against colonialism and apartheid towards a new era of continental cooperation, integration and development. 

Today, we meet exactly 34 years after the SADC Declaration and Treaty was signed in Windhoek, Namibia, on the 17th of August 1992. 

We therefore meet at the confluence of two defining moments in Africa’s history: the establishment of our Southern African Community and the birth of our continental Union. 

These anniversaries are more than dates on a calendar. 

They remind us of the vision, courage and determination of those who came before us.

They also challenge us to ask whether we are moving with sufficient speed and purpose to realise the Africa they envisaged. 

The African Union was born out of the conviction that Africa’s future would be secured through cooperation, integration and unity. 

That vision is embodied in Agenda 2063 and in its aspiration for an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens. 

As SADC, we have embraced that vision. 

We gather at this Summit to give practical meaning to its promise: to transform borders into bridges, national economies into a shared market, and geographical proximity into shared prosperity. 

At the outset, I wish to express our appreciation to my brother, His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and outgoing Chairperson of SADC. 

We thank you, Mr President, for your leadership and stewardship of our Community. 

We particularly appreciate the spirit of partnership with which Zimbabwe worked with South Africa during the period of interim leadership. 
Zimbabwe’s support in co-hosting Sectoral Ministerial Meetings helped to ensure continuity in the work of our Community.

We likewise acknowledge Zambia, the members of the Troika, the SADC Secretariat and all Member States for the cooperation and collective leadership they have demonstrated. 

The story of SADC is a story of the triumph of solidarity over division and adversity. 

Before we became a development community, we were a community of solidarity. 

The peoples of this region stood together against colonialism, minority rule and apartheid. 

The countries of Southern Africa endured aggression, destabilisation and immense economic hardship because they understood that no country in this region could be truly free while another remained oppressed. 

Together, the people of our region overcame colonial rule and apartheid. 

Together, we transformed Southern Africa from a region marked by conflict and oppression into a community founded on peace, democracy, cooperation and a common future. 

Today, our task is to give economic and social meaning to that political liberation. 

We are a Community of 16 nations and more than 400 million people. 

We possess abundant mineral resources, vast agricultural potential, a youthful population and growing industrial and technological capabilities. 

We have made important progress. 

The SADC Free Trade Area has created a platform for greater regional commerce. 

The SADC Real-Time Gross Settlement System facilitates cross-border payments and draws our economies closer together. 

Through the Southern African Power Pool, Member States share electricity infrastructure and resources across national borders. 

Through regional cooperation, we are strengthening our collective capacity to prevent conflict, support democratic governance and respond to political and security challenges. 

Through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, we are strengthening disease surveillance, pandemic preparedness and health security across our region. 

The importance of this cooperation is demonstrated by the devastating Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

At the latest count, nearly 5,000 confirmed cases have been recorded and more than 2,300 lives have been lost. 

Behind every number is a human life. 

Behind every statistic is a grieving family, an anxious community and a health worker placing their own life at risk to save others. 

On behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, and on behalf of our Community, we express our deepest condolences to the Government and people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

We commend the courage of Congolese health workers and communities. 

We appreciate the leadership of the Government of the DRC, Africa CDC and the World Health Organization, working with regional and international partners to coordinate the response. 

But the outbreak continues to outpace our efforts. 

We must do more, and we must act with urgency. 

We call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the affected conflict areas and for safe and secure humanitarian access so that health workers can reach every affected community. 

We call on all parties to respect health facilities, health workers and humanitarian operations. 

We call on governments to avoid indiscriminate restrictions on travel and trade against affected countries. 

Such restrictions are not supported by public-health evidence. They damage economies, disrupt livelihoods and may drive movement through unmonitored border crossings, thereby making containment more difficult.

As SADC, we stand in solidarity with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

We must strengthen surveillance, laboratory capacity, emergency coordination and clinical preparedness in neighbouring Member States and across the region. 

We must also ensure that financial pledges are translated urgently into resources on the ground. 

Protecting Africa from epidemics requires more than responding when outbreaks occur.

It requires sustained investment in prevention, surveillance, resilient health systems, research and the African production of vaccines, diagnostics and medicines.

This is an important test of our solidarity and of Africa’s determination to build greater health sovereignty. 

Your Majesties, 
Your Excellencies, 

The work undertaken across all these areas demonstrates that SADC is not simply a forum for meetings, summits and communiqués. 

SADC is an instrument through which we give practical effect to our vision of a peaceful, integrated, industrialised and prosperous Southern Africa.

The report of the Executive Secretary, Mr Elias Magosi, details the progress that has been made. 

It also challenges us to do much more, with greater urgency, focus and discipline. 

We thank the Executive Secretary, the Secretariat, our Senior Officials and our Ministers for the sterling work they have undertaken in preparing for this Summit. 

While our regional integration agenda is making progress, the pace of transformation remains too slow. 

Our region recorded economic growth of approximately 3.4 per cent in 2025. 

Yet intra-SADC trade accounted for only around one-fifth of the region’s total trade. 

After decades of integration, we have not yet unlocked the full potential of our regional market. 

We continue to import too many goods that we could produce within our region. 

We continue to export raw materials that we could process and beneficiate ourselves.

We continue to procure services from elsewhere that our own people and businesses have the skills and capacity to provide. 

Every raw mineral exported without beneficiation represents value that has left our shores. 

Every product imported that could competitively be manufactured here represents jobs that could have been created in our communities. 

We have everything we need across the 16 Member States of our Community to meet the needs of our people. 

We have the natural resources. 

We have the land and agricultural potential. 

We have the skills and capabilities. 

Above all, we have more than 400 million people whose energy, ingenuity and enterprise must become the driving force of our development. 

The people of our region are asking us to deliver the dividend of economic liberation.

They want decent jobs, growing industries, reliable electricity, affordable food, quality healthcare, education and opportunities for young people. 

They expect regional integration to improve their daily lives in visible, practical and meaningful ways. 

This Summit must therefore accelerate implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020–2030. 

First, we must deepen industrialisation and build regional value chains. 

The minerals and agricultural commodities of our region must become the foundation of Southern African manufacturing. 

We must process more of what we mine, add value to more of what we grow and manufacture more of what we consume. 

Second, we must invest boldly in regional infrastructure.

We need roads that link our countries, efficient railways that carry minerals and manufactured goods, and modern ports that connect Southern Africa to continental and global markets. 

Our infrastructure must connect not only capitals and commercial centres, but also rural communities, border towns and underserved regions that have remained on the margins of development. 

Third, we must strengthen our energy, water and digital security. 

We must expand electricity generation and transmission capacity and deepen cooperation through the Southern African Power Pool. 

Every citizen must have access to safe water and adequate sanitation. 

We must therefore invest in cross-border water infrastructure to secure water for our households, farms and industries. 

We must expand affordable digital connectivity so that every community, entrepreneur and young person can participate fully in the digital economy.

Fourth, we must build climate-resilient food systems. 

Our region has the land, climate diversity and agricultural expertise to feed itself and become a major global producer of food. 

We must improve agricultural productivity, strengthen regional food reserves and agricultural value chains, and support smallholder and emerging farmers. 

Fifth, we must make full use of the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area. 

SADC must become a powerful platform from which our businesses can access a continental market of more than 1.4 billion people. 

But this will require us to remove non-tariff barriers, improve border management, harmonise standards and make it easier for goods, services, capital and skills to move across our region. 

Our decisions must be implemented. 

They must be properly costed, funded, assigned and monitored. 

Our communiqués must become construction sites, factories, power lines, water systems, laboratories, businesses and jobs. 

Regional integration must be seen and felt in the daily lives of our people. 

None of this will be possible without peace, security and democratic stability. 

Peace without development is fragile. 

Development without peace is impossible. 

We must continue to invest in preventive diplomacy, mediation and political dialogue.

We must strengthen the work of the SADC Panel of Elders, the Organ Troika and our regional institutions. 

We must resolve differences through dialogue, uphold our shared democratic principles and act collectively wherever the peace and stability of our region are threatened. 

Our Community is like a great river system. 

Each Member State is a tributary, with its own history, identity, character and strength.

When those separate currents come together, they become a powerful force that carries opportunity across borders and sustains all in its path. 

A tributary does not lose its identity when it joins a great river. It gains reach, depth and power. 

In the same way, regional integration does not diminish our sovereignty. 

It multiplies our collective capacity to secure the well-being of our people. 

Our Community must therefore become more than the sum of its Member States. 

It must have the institutional strength, authority and resources to advance our common interests and realise our shared vision. 

Let this Summit be remembered not merely for the declarations we adopt, but for the decisions we implement. 

Let eThekwini, the city in which the African Union was launched, become the place where SADC renewed its determination to build a truly integrated regional economy. 

Let us turn our borders into bridges. 

Let us turn our resources into industries. 

Let us turn our youthful population into a powerful demographic dividend. 

Let us turn our solidarity into shared prosperity. 

Let this Summit inspire a new era of regional integration that delivers dignity, opportunity and hope to every citizen of Southern Africa. 

Let it reaffirm our commitment to peace, security and democracy. 

Let it strengthen our resolve to build diversified, industrialised and resilient economies.

And let it move us closer to the Southern Africa envisioned in SADC Vision 2050: a peaceful, inclusive, competitive and prosperous region in which no country and no person is left behind. 

It is now my honour to declare the 46th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community officially open. 

I thank you.
 

Programme Director, 
Your Majesties,
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,
Honourable Ministers, Ambassadors and High Commissioners,
The Executive Secretary of SADC, Mr Elias Magosi,
Heads of Delegation,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Sanibonani.

Good evening.

I warmly welcome you all to eThekwini in the beautiful province of KwaZulu-Natal.

We are deeply privileged to host you here. 

We gather here not just as a Community, but as a family.

We gather as people born of the same soil, forged in common struggle and united by an abiding desire for freedom, justice and equality.

Your presence here affirms the enduring bonds of friendship and solidarity that unite the people of our region.

KwaZulu-Natal is the birthplace of many giants whose courage and vision contributed not only to South Africa’s liberation, but also to Africa’s broader struggle for independence, dignity and self-determination.

Leaders like Inkosi Albert Luthuli, John Langalibalele Dube and Pixley ka Isaka Seme helped shape a tradition of principled leadership whose influence extended far beyond our borders.

KwaZulu-Natal is therefore an inspiring setting for a summit of leaders dedicated to advancing our shared vision for Southern Africa.

Over the past several days, our Community has demonstrated its commitment to regional progress through meetings of Senior Officials, the Council of Ministers and SADC Industrialisation Week. 

Allow me to express my sincere appreciation to our Ministers, Senior Officials, the SADC Secretariat and all those whose diligence and professionalism have prepared the ground for the important deliberations that will take place tomorrow.

We are especially pleased that many of our delegations have already had the opportunity to experience the vibrant spirit of KwaZulu-Natal. 

It is through these shared experiences that we deepen not only diplomatic relations, but also the bonds between our people.

Tomorrow, as leaders of our region gather in Summit, we will have the opportunity to renew our political commitment to further unite and integrate our region.

It is an opportunity to strengthen our collective resolve to improve the lives of our citizens by building strong economies and vibrant societies – to give meaning to the aspirations of the young people of Southern Africa.

This evening, the formal programme gives way to fellowship. 

This evening, we celebrate our shared heritage, strengthen old friendships, forge new partnerships and enjoy the hospitality of our country. 

May you enjoy the rich culture, vibrant music and exceptional cuisine of KwaZulu-Natal, and may your stay in South Africa be both memorable and rewarding.

Please rise and join me in a toast.

To the continued unity of SADC, to the peace and prosperity of our region and to the health, happiness and success of the leaders and peoples of Southern Africa.

I thank you.
 

I join many who pay their profound tributes on the passing of Mzikayifane Elias Khumalo who is laid to rest today. 

Comrade “Mzi” as he was affectionately known, was a true servant of the people whose life was defined by humility, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the betterment of his community and our nation.

Throughout his service in government, Mr. Khumalo embodied the values of service and stewardship. His work touched many lives, and his example will continue to inspire future generations to place the needs of the people above self-interest.

On behalf of the Presidency and the Government of South Africa, I extend heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and all who were privileged to walk alongside him in service. May they find comfort in knowing that his legacy of compassion and leadership will live on.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Media enquiries: Mr Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President on 066 195 8840

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria