President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the opening of parliament address in Cape Town this week. This is traditionally a platform for the newly elected head of state to give details on the vision and priorities of the new administration after general elections.
The presidency has said that having the address on Nelson Mandela Day was a fitting tribute as it calls on communities to reflect on Madiba’s legacy and values.
However, Ramaphosa is set to deliver the address against the backdrop of low economic growth, the persistent threat of power cuts, railway logistics challenges, high rates of violent crime, entrenched poverty, widening inequality, joblessness and poor service delivery.
He will deliver the address after the first biannual planning meeting of SA’s new executive. It was attended by ministers, deputy ministers and directors-general, to consider how to collate various party manifestos into coherent government policy.
The lekgotla at the weekend was the first meeting of the newly reconfigured cabinet, which includes ministers from parties that are signatories to the government of national unity.
The outcomes of the cabinet lekgotla, which included 32 ministers and 43 deputy ministers as well as directors-general of departments, will be announced by Ramaphosa during the address on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces are from Monday expected to continue the budget votes process, which includes briefing on departmental budgets, annual performance plans, spending plans and departmental performance.
Climate
Ramaphosa will also on Monday deliver the keynote address at the opening session of the National Treasury Climate Resilience Symposium 2024 at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) International Convention Centre Auditorium in Pretoria.
The symposium will be held under the theme “Moving the needle on climate change and just transition: the role of the National Treasury.”
The objectives of the symposium are to integrate climate goals into macro-fiscal and finance policy; and improve government co-ordination by mainstreaming climate change considerations into the intergovernmental fiscal system.
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