SA will begin rolling out the red carpet this week ahead of the Brics summit, which takes place on August 22-24.
Delegations from China, Brazil, India and Russia will arrive in the country ahead of a “sherpa” meeting later this week. The sherpa is the main channel for communication among Brics countries during a summit.
The departments of international relations & co-operation and trade, industry and competition are also working about the clock ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit.
The government must also decide this week if it will release the report into the Lady R saga after allegations that SA loaded arms onto a Russian naval ship amid that country’s invasion of Ukraine. President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed a panel to probe the allegations.
City Press reported last week that there was no evidence to suggest that the claims by US ambassador Reuben Brigety are true. If correct, the release of the report could heighten calls for Brigety’s recall.
Meanwhile, opposition political parties in SA are preparing for the “moonshot pact” coalition conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday and Thursday.
Leaders of the parties — the DA, the IFP, the Freedom Front Plus, ActionSA, the National Freedom Party, United Independent Movement, Spectrum National Party and the Independent SA National Civic Organisation — have confirmed their attendance at the meeting, which will aim to reach agreement on the core values and principles that would guide a joint government.
Also on the agenda will be the formulation of a joint programme of action, rules of engagement for the 2024 election campaign and a formula for the formation of a cabinet.
If successful, the moonshot pact coalition could lay the ground for the governing ANC’s unseating should the party fall below 50% in 2024’s national and provincial elections.
The SA Police Service (SAPS) will come under scrutiny in parliament on Wednesday when questioned by members of the police committee about the incident involving members of the VIP Protection Service attached to deputy president Paul Mashatile, who beat up civilians. The eight officers charged with assault, malicious damage to property and pointing of a firearm are out on bail.
Security experts have taken issue with the SAPS VIP protection unit being overresourced. Opposition parties have long called for the protection unit to be defunded, noting that in the 2000s — mostly during former president Jacob Zuma’s term in office — the budget for the protection services programme grew more than tenfold.
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