It is going to be a busy week for President Cyril Ramaphosa as he is expected to address various conferences, parliament and mark SA’s 30-year transition from apartheid to democratic rule.
Ramaphosa is set to address the State of Human Rights Conference on Monday, marking the 30th anniversary of SA’s transition to a constitutional democracy and human rights in the country.
The national conference will be hosted by the department of justice & constitutional development from Monday to Wednesday at the Birchwood Conference Centre in Boksburg under the theme: “Three Decades of Respect for and Promotion of Human Rights”.
“SA celebrates 30 years of constitutional democracy and human rights. As we reflect on this significant milestone, minister Ronald Lamola and the department of justice and constitutional development are convening the national conference to assess the progress and chart a way forward in advancing human rights,” Lamola’s spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, said.
The conference will reflect on 30 years of transformation and efforts in promoting democracy under three themes:
- Development and human rights;
- The extent to which the progressive realisation of human rights has been promoted through economic policies and budgeting priorities over the years; and
- An evaluation of governance measures established to strengthen national structures, institutions and civil society that play a role in promoting and safeguarding human rights.
Ramaphosa is then expected to answer questions for oral reply in the National Assembly on Tuesday, with topics ranging from the land reform programme; to lifestyle audits for members of the executive; and the presidential employment stimulus programme, among others.
On Wednesday, economics cluster ministers are in the hot seat with ANC MP Richard Mdakane expected to ask communications & digital technologies minister Mondli Gungubele what measures have been put in place by the SABC to ensure “there is equitable treatment of political parties as well as individuals contesting provincial and national elections, [and] that the process is free and fair”.
EFF MP Mzwanele Manyi is set to quiz electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa on the “recent high frequency of load-shedding”, while DA MP Dion George is set to ask finance minister Enoch Godongwana whether he intends to increase tax to fund the proposed National Health Insurance.
The department of public works & infrastructure on Tuesday hosts the third instalment of the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of SA, which aims to shed light on the infrastructure project pipeline and focus on closing the infrastructure investment gap.
Ramaphosa is expected to acknowledge the contribution made by black industrialists when he delivers the keynote address at the Second Black Industrialists and Exporters conference at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Wednesday. He participated in the inaugural conference in 2022.
The conference will celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the Broad-Based BEE Act. More than 600 firms supported by the department of trade, industry & competition showed a turnover of about R80bn during the 2023/24 financial year, “illustrating the tangible results of drawing more black entrepreneurs into the industrial economy”, said Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.
More than 1,300 delegates, including 800 black firms, 73 panellists and speakers, 139 exhibitors, nine buyers from the country’s biggest retailers, and seven ministers participated in the inaugural event in Sandton in July 2022.
On Thursday, Ramaphosa will deliver the keynote address when the country marks Human Rights Day, “which coincides with significant milestones of the 30-year anniversary of freedom and democracy”, Magwenya said.
The event will be held in Sharpeville under the theme: “Three decades of respect for and promotion of human rights”. Magwenya said: “This day remains a fundamental landmark in our history and the reminder of those who fought against apartheid and colonialism. The UN has also declared March 21 to be the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.”
ActionSA, the political party led by former Johannesburg executive mayor Herman Mashaba is set to launch its manifesto at Ellis Park Arena (Stadium) in Johannesburg on Saturday, ahead of the crucial 2024 elections on May 29.
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