Tag Archives: The Republic of South Africa (RSA)

Ramaphosa: “We must build on the momentum of our economic recovery”

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Picture: RSA president, Cyril Ramaphosa

By AGISANANG SCUFF

26 January 2026- The Republic of South Africa (RSA), Cyril Ramaphosa said as they enter a new year, the momentum of their economic recovery is gathering pace. Ramaphosa said in the last months of 2025, they saw a number of indicators that their collective efforts to rebuild their economy are bearing fruit.

He further said the economy has posted four consecutive quarters of growth. Ramaphosa added that there has been a steady reduction in unemployment, while recent data released by Statistics South Africa shows that levels of poverty and inequality have declined considerably.

“Confidence in our economy is rising, the stock exchange has been performing well and the average inflation rate is the lowest in two decades. Late last year, South Africa exited the Financial Action Task Force grey list, which is an important signal of institutional improvement and a boost to investor confidence.

“We have also seen a sovereign credit ratings upgrade, reflecting strengthened fiscal credibility. While these signs of progress are encouraging, there is no time to rest. The difference between a temporary lift in growth and sustained shift in our economic trajectory lies in expanding investment,” he said.

Ramaphosa said a strengthening currency and rising commodity prices, they have wind in their sails. He said now, they must steer their ship towards greater prosperity for all South Africans.

“Last week, at its first meeting of the year, the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) made clear proposals on how to achieve this goal. A body of respected local and international economists, academics and practitioners, the council provides strategic and evidence-based advice on policy decisions that promote economic stability, growth and inclusivity.

“The council said that government should translate recent positive developments into enduring growth by simultaneously boosting public infrastructure spending and lowering the cost of doing business,” said Ramaphosa.

He said increasing infrastructure investment is not simply about spending more. Ramaphosa said it is about delivering projects that reduce the cost of doing business, unlock growth and create jobs. 

“Council members expressed strong support for the ongoing programme of structural transformation in key sectors such as electricity, logistics and water. These interventions, which have brought an end to load-shedding and improved rail and port performance, aim to enable competition, improve the efficiency of network industries and reduce costs across the economy.

“Our electricity reforms are critical to this effort. A competitive electricity market is essential to bringing down the cost of electricity. And lower electricity prices are critical for both inclusive growth and social development,” he said.

Ramaphosa said similarly, improving logistics performance in rail, ports and freight corridors remains essential to exports, industrialisation and job creation. He said in addition to boosting private investment, they need to achieve higher levels of public investment in infrastructure.

“Over the last few years, we have laid a solid foundation for investment by streamlining the regulations that have held back infrastructure projects, making it easier to pursue public-private partnerships, and establishing strong institutions such as Infrastructure South Africa and the Infrastructure Fund.

“We have committed more than R1 trillion of public funds for infrastructure projects over the next three years. We need to build on this foundation by strengthening our state-owned enterprises and enabling them to invest at much higher levels,” said Ramaphosa. 

He said they must do all of this at a time when the international environment is increasingly volatile and uncertain. Ramaphosa said a global growth is expected to remain subdued over the medium term and many countries are facing heightened trade and geopolitical tensions.

“This underscores the need for South Africa to sharpen its competitiveness and expand markets, particularly on the African continent. We must capitalise on the positive momentum of recent months by building strong partnerships, strengthening delivery, and closing the gap between policy intent and implementation.

“Only if our own institutions are strong can we compete and remain responsive in a rapidly changing world. During the course of this year, we need to double down on our efforts to grow investment and create jobs,” he said.

Ramaphosa said they must seize the momentum they built and translate this into long-term gains for their economy. He said in the coming days, cabinet will hold its annual Lekgotla to outline the actions that will be taken across government and with social partners to achieve these goals.

“Through these actions, by working together, we will ensure that the progress we’ve seen in the last year will have an impact on the lives of South Africans this year,” said Ramaphosa.

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The Class of 2025 provide inspiration and encouragement

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Picture: RSA President, Cyril Ramaphosa

By OBAKENG MAJE

19 January 2026- The Republic of South Africa (RSA), Cyril Ramaphosa said last week, the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube announced that the Matric Class of 2025 had made history by achieving the highest pass rate in our country’s history. Ramaphosa said more than 650 000 learners passed the National Senior Certificate, achieving a pass rate of 88%.

He further congratulated all the learners and their teachers, families and communities for this great achievement. Ramaphosa added that they applaud every learner who sat these exams.

“The matric results have shown a steady improvement over many years, both in the quantity and the quality of the achievements. They have contributed to a dramatic increase in the number of South Africans older than 20 who have a matric qualification, increasing from 30% in 2002 to 52% in 2024.

“This outstanding achievement shows the value of the investment we are making in education and the efforts we have made to ensure that all children, regardless of their background and gender, have access to quality education,” he said.

Ramaphosa said global experience has shown that one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty is to ensure that girl children receive a good education. He said it is therefore significant that in 2025, more girls sat for the matric exams than boys and that the pass rates of boys and girls were much the same.

“A higher proportion of girls attained admission to Bachelor studies than boys, and nearly twice as many obtained distinctions. This bodes well for the continuation of their studies at universities and colleges. It is also significant that more than two-thirds of all bachelor passes came from schools in the most disadvantaged communities, classified as quintiles 1-3.

“This is both a testament to the determination of these learners and their teachers, and to the effectiveness of policies like no-fee schools and the child support grant. Taken together with the expansion in recent years of funding for tertiary students from poor backgrounds, these results give us encouragement that many of these young people will be able to lift themselves and their families out of poverty,” said Ramaphosa.

He said they are encouraged by the fact that 90% of learners with special education needs passed matric and 52% achieved bachelor passes, both higher than the national average. Ramaphosa said their task is now to ensure that more learners with special needs are able to write matric exams.

“As we applaud these great results, we must acknowledge that challenges remain. Of the 1.2 million children who started grade one in 2014, only 778,000 made it through to grade 12 in 2025. That’s nearly half a million young people who left school before finishing. As we strive to improve the quality of our matric results, we must work harder to ensure that more children complete their schooling.

“Another challenge is the drop in performance in subjects like mathematics. While more learners are taking these subjects, we have seen a drop in the pass rates for mathematics and accounting. These are subjects that our learners need to excel at if they are to succeed in a rapidly changing economy,” he said.

Ramaphosa said in working to address these challenges, we are starting with the foundations of learning. He said in the same week that the results came out for the class of 2025, the class of 2037 started their first day of grade one.

“From this moment, they are starting their preparations for matric and beyond. That is why they are placing greater emphasis and making more investment into the early years of schooling. We have made Grade R compulsory and embarked on an ambitious drive to register and provide subsidies to more early childhood development centres.

“We are strengthening early grade reading, improving teaching materials and focusing on teacher development in the early grades. By investing in children at the start of their school career, by giving them a solid educational foundation, we are preparing them for success. We are working to ensure that they all finish their schooling, that they excel in matric and that they go on to thrive in everything they do,” said Ramaphosa.

He said the achievements of the Class of 2025 must inspire and encourage all the years of learners that are to follow.

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Breaking News: Gwede Mantashe appointed as acting Minister of Police

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Picture: The acting Minister of Police, Gwede Mantashe

By OBAKENG MAJE

15 July 2025- The Republic of South Africa (RSA), President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, as Acting Minister of Police with immediate effect. Ramaphosa said Mantashe will serve in this capacity until Prof Firoz Cachalia, who will retire from his position at the University of the Witwatersrand at the end of this month, assumes his position at the start of August.

“Mantashe will retain his responsibilities as Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources,” he said.

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Ramaphosa expected to establish a commission of inquiry amidst Mkhwanazi’s explosive allegations

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Picture: Embattled Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu

By REGINALD KANYANE

13 July 2025- The Republic of South Africa (RSA), President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Sunday, address the nation on developments arising from a public statement by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that details allegations against senior political and South African Police Service leadership. Ramaphosa was attending a BRICS summit in Brazil on 6 July 2025, when Mkhwanazi outlined numerous allegations at a media briefing.

Ramaphosa spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya said he undertook to attend to this development on his return from Brazil, in view of the implications for national security. Magwenya said Ramaphosa has been seized with this matter in recent days and will, following various consultations, take the nation into his confidence at 7pm on 13 July 2025.

“The President’s message will be broadcast and streamed on various platforms,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa is expected to establish a commission of inquiry led by a retired judge to investigate Mkhwanazi’s explosive allegations. During a media briefing last week, Mkhwanazi accused the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, Deputy Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya and some of members from National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Judiciary in cohorts with criminals.

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Ramaphosa urges dialogue to end Israel-Iran conflict

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Picture: RSA president, Cyril Ramaphosa

By BAKANG MOKOTO

23 Jun 2025- The Republic of South Africa (RSA), Cyril Ramaphosa said he has noted with a great deal of anxiety the entry by the United States of America (USA) into the Israel-Iran war. Ramaphosa said it was South Africa’s sincerest hope that US President, Donald Trump would use his influence and that of the US government to prevail on the parties to pursue a dialogue path in resolving their issues of dispute.

“South Africa calls on the United States, Israel, and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute, including the inspection and verification of Iran’s status of uranium enrichment, as well as its broader nuclear capacity,” he said.

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Constitutional Court’s humanistic jurisprudence a source of pride

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Picture: RSA president, Cyril Ramaphosa

By OBAKENG MAJE

23 June 2025- The Republic of South Africa (RSA), Cyril Ramaphosa said across many parts of the world, human rights are under threat and constitutionalism is increasingly being tested. Ramaphosa said in March 2025, the UN Human Rights Council said the world is facing ‘a moment of profound instability’ – characterised by conflict, democratic backsliding, declining respect for the rule of law, right-wing populism, attacks on civil society and judicial independence being undermined.

He further said the council stressed the need for countries to strengthen democratic institutions charged with safeguarding fundamental rights and freedoms. Ramaphosa added that, as South Africans, they can be proud that they continue to strive to live up to this obligation.

“Even as we face numerous challenges, our democratic order is in good health, anchored in a progressive constitution and a Constitutional Court that continues to safeguard the rights of all.

“This year marks 30 years since the court convened for the first time, marking a new, bold chapter of our democratic journey. The imperative for the establishment of a specialised constitutional court was a key facet of the multiparty negotiations that preceded the democratic transition,” he said.

Ramaphosa said whilst some believed that existing structures such as the Supreme Court could perform this task, the African National Congress (ANC) advocated for a new court that was untainted by the past. He said just as drafters of the constitution itself drew heavily on the experiences of other countries – when considering the model of the court, they looked to other jurisdictions for inspiration.

“One of these was Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court that was established in 1951. Retired Constitutional Court Judge Richard Goldstone recalls how the 11 members of the new court met for the first time in the German city of Karlsruhe, the seat of the Federal Constitutional Court.

“Retired Judge Johann Kriegler recalls how they learned skilled adjudication of constitutional issues from their German colleagues. In this respect, this proud institution of our democracy is the product of constitutional solidarity,” said Ramphosa.

He said it draws on the wisdom and support of international partners, yet remains uniquely South African in its outlook, its orientation and values. Ramaphosa said the court’s first case in 1995, on the constitutionality of the death penalty – set the tone for a humanistic jurisprudence grounded in human dignity that endures to this day.

“In his judgment, one of South Africa’s finest legal minds, South Africa’s first black Chief Justice Ismail Mohamed, immortalised the vision of the new court.

“The South African Constitution is different,” Justice Mohamed writes. “It retains from the past only what is defensible and represents a decisive break from, and a ringing rejection of that part of the past which is disgracefully racist, authoritarian, insular and repressive, and a vigorous identification of and commitment to a democratic, universalistic, caring and inspirationally egalitarian ethos,” he said.

Ramaphosa said over the past 30 years, the Constitutional Court has advanced this aspirationally egalitarian ethos in far-reaching ways. He said landmark judgments are well-known on issues such as the death penalty, access to HIV/Aids treatment, prisoners’ right to vote, and others.

“Yet its less well-known judgments that have had equally dramatic impact on matters such as upholding the rights of pensioners to not having their old age grants disrupted, the rights of smallholder farmers to not have their livestock impounded under colonial-era ordinances, the rights of women in customary marriages, and upholding the rights of rail commuters to safety.

“The composition of the Constitutional Court bench, particularly with respect to judges with different backgrounds and different views on the law, has played an important role in shaping the court’s jurisprudence,” said Ramaphosa.

He said in 2007, former Chief Justice Pius Langa highlighted the centrality of judicial diversity, saying this was not confined solely to an appropriate racial or gender mix, but that a wide range of views and life experiences are represented. Ramaphosa said judicial diversity, Justice Langa said, is likely to increase judicial dissent, and hence improve the quality of decisions.

“Throughout its proud history the court has carried out its work without fear or favour, not hesitating to hold even the most powerful in society to account. An Ipsos poll released earlier this year found that most South Africans view democracy, human rights and the rule of law as universal values that all nations deserve and must aspire towards.

“The majority of respondents also believed that South Africa is a good example of a democracy, and has a responsibility to be a moral leader in the world. This confidence is a result of the abiding trust the public has in our Constitutional Court,” he said.

Ramaphosa said as they celebrate this milestone, they should honour the proud history of the court by continuing to work together as all of society to realise the full promise of their Constitution.

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RSA president, Cyril Ramaphosa to deliver State of the Nation Address

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Picture: The RSA president, Cyril Ramaphosa

By OBAKENG MAJE

1 February 2025- The Republic of South Africa (RSA), Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on 6 February 2024 at 7pm. The address will take place before a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament.

Ramaphisa spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya said the address is an important milestone as it brings certainty to the country’s political, social and economic landscape. Magwenya said it demonstrates that South Africa’s democracy remains robust.

“In the address, Ramaphosa sets out government’s key policy objectives and deliverables for the year ahead, flag challenges and outline interventions to unlock our nation’s potential.During his address, the President also highlights what has been achieved since his last address in 2023.

“He also reflects on the progress made in implementing the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP). The State of the Nation Address (Sona) is divided into three parts. The first is the important public participation role in the ceremony when the Civil Guard of Honour welcomes the President and his guests as they walk along the red carpet,” he said.

Magwenya further said this is followed by a state ceremonial, which includes a 21-gun salute and the South African Air Force flypast and finally the official address by Ramaphosa. He added that, members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) line the route that Ramaphosa takes to Parliament.

“The Military Guard of Honour participates in the ceremony and the military band plays South Africa’s national anthem. In a general election year, two State of the Nation Addresses are delivered.

“The State of the Nation Address is one of the rare occasions, where the three arms of State, namely the Executive represented by the President, Deputy President and Ministers, the Judiciary, represented by the country’s Chief Justice and the Judge Presidents and the Legislature, represented by the Members of Parliament (MPs) gather in one place,” said Magwenya.

He said the provincial and local spheres of government are also represented.

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