President Ramaphosa to participate at the joint Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) – East Africa Community (EAC) Heads of State and Government Summit on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
President Cyril Ramaphosa has this morning, 8 February 2025, arrived for a working visit to Dar Es Salaam in the United Republic of Tanzania on Saturday, 08 February 2025, to participate at the joint Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) – East Africa Community (EAC) Heads of State and Government Summit on the security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Heads of States and Government of SADC and East African Community agreed to meet urgently following their respective extraordinary Summits held last month to deliberate on the way forward regarding the security situation in the DRC.
The joint SADC – EAC Summit was preceded by Senior Officials and Foreign Ministers Meetings taking place on 06 and 07 February 2025.
The Extraordinary SADC Summit held last month mandated the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, to engage all state and non-state parties to the conflict on a ceasefire process to protect lives and facilitate a smooth flow of humanitarian support to people and communities affected by the armed conflict.
It also urged Political and Diplomatic leaders who are parties to the conflict to engage in a coordinated effort of dialogue, including supporting the Luanda Process, MONUSCO and others, to restore peace and security in Eastern DRC.
President Ramaphosa is accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola ,Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga and senior government officials.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Zawya
14 hours ago
- Zawya
South Africa urges dialogue to end Israel-Iran conflict
President Cyril Ramaphosa and the South African government have noted with a great deal of anxiety the entry by the United States of America into the Israel-Iran war. It was South Africa's sincerest hope that 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. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.


Zawya
3 days ago
- Zawya
South Africa: Multi-billion Limpopo mega-project has ground to a halt
Seven years after its launch by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the multi-billion Musina Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) in Limpopo is at a standstill. R67.5m has been spent on consultants and R50m on roads and infrastructure. But there is no infrastructure, no electricity connection, no roads and no water. Described on its website as 'a flagship of the Limpopo Provincial Government' the MMSEZ is 'a green field investment platform consisting of two sites' - Artonvilla, near Musina, intended for light manufacturing, and Mopani, near Makhado, intended for heavy industry. The zone claims to offer 'state of the art logistics facilities promoting operational excellence'. But though the MMSEZ was touted to bring in R40bn in investments, so far only one company has made a firm commitment to invest. A report by the chair of the MMSEZ board, Nndweleni Mphephu, to the Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism department, shows how little has happened in what was to be a mega industrial park in the heart of the Limpopo Valley. The report, dated 28 May, follows questions in Parliament and an oversight visit by MPs to the area. According to the Minister of Trade Industry and Competition Parks Tau, R2.27bn would be needed for bulk infrastructure on the site, and R1.07bn had been set aside between 2020/1 and 2026/7 in the provincial budget. In response to a question in Parliament in May from the DA's Toby Chance, Tau added that the DTIC's Industrial Zones Programme was helping the MMSEZ with advisory support. Some of the money has already been spent, much of it on consultants. In his report, Mphephu gives a list of consultants, service providers and contractors who have benefited to date. Spending of just over R85.2m was approved for consultants, of which just over R67.5m has already been paid to 17 consultants, including engineers, planners, quantity surveyors, project managers and horticulturists. Just under R40m has been paid to service providers, including Eskom. According to the report, three contractors have so far benefited, including Tshiamiso Trading 1 and Tshiamiso Trading 2, which received a R200m contract for roads and stormwater infrastructure and a R99.3m contract for bulk sewer and wastewater treatment works. A contract for R134m was awarded to Rembu Construction, also for the construction of bulk sewer and wastewater treatment works. But though some earthworks have been done by Tshiamiso on the northern site, there are no finished roads, electricity or water on either site. After being paid just over R50.4m, Tshiamiso had to stop work on the northern site, after beginning bush-clearing, because the land belonged to a different organ of state and transfer had to take place first, the report says. Tshiamiso has now terminated the contract and is claiming more money from the MMSEZ, citing non-payment for standing time. This dispute is currently in litigation. Tshiamiso Trading is also accused of unlawfully removing white rock materials from another site to the MMSEZ site without the owner's consent or any formal agreement or compensation. The MMSEZ southern site was gazetted as a Special Economic Zone in 2017, but it turns out that the northern site at Artonvilla has yet to be gazetted, according to a response by Tau to a question in Parliament. Tau said the Limpopo government had indicated it would submit a request before the end of June 2025 to gazette the northern site. In his report, Mphephu noted fierce 'oppositions, dissenting views and pushbacks' mostly from environmental groups, over the southern site. Some of these were challenging the Environmental Impact Assessment in the Polokwane High Court. But in the absence of an interdict, the report says, 'all activities leading to the development, including township establishment processes are expected to proceed.' When President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly announced the MMSEZ in September 2018 following his return from the Forum for Africa and China Cooperation, it came with the promise of an initial investment value of more than R40bn. To date, little of that money appears to have materialised. Responding to questions in Parliament in May, Tau gave a list of investment pledges amounting to more than R8.64bn, of which R2.1bn has been verified and validated from eight prospective investors. But according to the report, only the China-based Kinetic Development Group has come to the party, with a R16bn promise of a ferrochrome smelter on the southern site, once township development on the site is approved, and subject to EIA approvals. If investors do come, one of the biggest questions will be: where is the water going to come from in this semi-arid area? The MMSEZ has approached the Water Services Authority (Vhembe) and the catchment management agency (the Department of Water and Sanitation, DWS) in the region to determine whether they have capacity, either from treated or raw water, to supply the developments. According to the report, Vhembe agreed to provide the MMSEZ with some of its allocation for raw water to kickstart development on the northern site. The DWS said treated water could be brought from Zimbabwe by pipeline for the future development of the site. 'For the south, a few boreholes were drilled in order to start the development of the site. For further development, a pipeline needs to be built to connect to the bulk pipeline from Zimbabwe. Furthermore, two dams are earmarked to be constructed in future to specifically provide water to the site as it grows,' the report says. According to the report, the MMSEZ has now implemented a 'turnaround plan' including a review of the design of roads and stormwater. A division of the Industrial Development Corporation has been appointed as implementing agent, with four professional engineers assigned to the MMEZ full-time. Construction on the first projects will start in September, the report says. This article is published in association with the Limpopo Mirror / Zoutpansberger. Published originally on GroundUp.© 2025 GroundUp. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.


Zawya
6 days ago
- Zawya
Redefining leadership for impact: Why the right hires now shape tomorrow's South Africa?
Leadership isn't what it used to be, and the recent headline-making meeting between Donald Trump, and President Ramaphosa (supported by Johann Rupert, golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, vice president of Business Unity SA and group chief executive officer at Discovery Adrian Gore, and Congress of SA Trade Unions President Zingiswa Losi) proves just that. In today's world, where private capital, political influence, and public perception are deeply intertwined, one thing is clear: the leaders we choose to back, whether in boardrooms or at the ballot box, shape not only economic outcomes but the very fabric of society. Wendy Spalding, Director at Tuesday Consulting This message has been echoed at multiple business leadership events and conferences we have recently attended where one truth stood out: leadership is no longer merely a corporate function but rather a societal responsibility. At Tuesday Consulting, we've spent over two decades placing values-driven, future-fit leaders who understand that navigating complexity and building inclusive growth are not competing goals, they are interconnected imperatives. As the lines between business and politics continue to blur, the demand for leaders who can act with agility, purpose, and integrity has never been more urgent. Government, business, academia, and civil society must work together to build a more resilient, inclusive South Africa and this work starts with who we choose to lead. Our approach to executive search is grounded in rigorous research and enriched by our global partnership with Agilium Worldwide, a network of executive search firms. This dual global-local lens allows us to find leaders who are not only operationally excellent, but also socially attuned leaders who: - Drive cross-sector collaboration; - Build agile, future-ready teams; - Create long-term value for both business and society. The youth unemployment crisis illustrates the urgency. By 2050, Africa will represent 25% of the world's population. Without access to education, mentorship, and meaningful work opportunities, we risk squandering a generational dividend. Leadership, particularly at the highest levels, has a critical role to play in changing this trajectory. At Tuesday Consulting, we believe that business is more than an economic actor, it is a cultural force, a community stakeholder, and increasingly, an agent of social reform. That belief underpins our approach to executive search. We're not just filling roles, we're curating leadership capable of shaping systems, uplifting communities, and delivering sustainable impact. Our commitment has always been clear: champion leaders who lead with purpose, empathy, and vision, those who will transform strategy into meaningful, measurable change. We believe that when you hire for purpose, you don't just change a company, you could play a part in changing a country.