#KenyaInSA South Africa-Kenya Business Forum

Our economic relations are coordinated through the South Africa-Kenya Joint Trade Committee, which met last month.   The Joint Trade Committee reaffirmed the importance of promoting a more balanced and mutually beneficial economic partnership through increased investment, industr…Mostrar mais

South Africa is keen to continue exploring opportunities for cooperation in infrastructure development, logistics, transport, energy and related sectors.

South Africa appreciates Kenya’s key role as a gateway to East Africa and as one of the leading voices on matters of peace, security and development on the continent.

We reaffirmed our shared commitment to strengthening the African Union and its institutions and ensuring that Africa speaks with one voice in addressing continental and global challenges.

Together, South Africa and Kenya will continue working to advance prosperity for our peoples and contribute to the realisation of the African Union's Agenda 2063 vision of an integrated, peaceful and prosperous continent.

Kenya remains one of South Africa’s most important strategic partners in East Africa and on the continent more broadly.   We have just concluded our official engagements which included a one-on-one meeting and official talks.   Later today, we will address the Kenya-South Africa…Mostrar mais

The Memoranda of Understanding that we have just signed provide a legal framework to further expand our cooperation.   During our engagements, we extensively reflected on our bilateral relations.

Kenya remains South Africa's largest trading partner in East Africa and an important destination for South African investment on the continent.

Leading South African companies have made significant investments in Kenya in sectors such as pharmaceutical services, retail, financial services, information and communications technology, manufacturing, business services and infrastructure development.

South Africa and Kenya are leading economies in our regions.   As such, our partnership carries significance not only for our citizens but for the broader African project of integration, industrialisation and inclusive growth.

I welcome the successful convening of the 7th Session of the South Africa–Kenya Joint Trade Committee in Pretoria this April.   These discussions reaffirmed our shared commitment to building a balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship under the African Continental Free…Mostrar mais

Importantly, our cooperation is expanding into new areas – green energy, climate-smart industrialisation, digital trade, artificial intelligence, maritime cooperation, e-mobility and skills development.

Our cooperation will create opportunities to transform lives, empower young people and build resilient economies.

We look forward to finalising several strategic Memoranda of Understanding during this visit, covering agriculture, tourism, ICT, energy, transport and maritime cooperation.

Trade between our countries continues to grow.   Kenyan exports to South Africa are expanding, creating greater balance and mutual benefit.

We must continue to improve logistics, facilitate easier movement of business people and promote investment partnerships.   Opportunities abound in infrastructure, automotive manufacturing, agro-processing, digital innovation, renewable energy, healthcare and education.

I welcome the growing cooperation between Kenya Airways and South African Airways, which is improving connectivity and strengthening tourism and business exchanges.

African countries are feeling the impact of rising fuel prices, inflation and constrained growth.   Our position is clear: dialogue and diplomacy must prevail over confrontation.

South Africa and Kenya can lead in areas such as artificial intelligence, fintech and cybersecurity.   As we look ahead, our cooperation must place people at the centre, creating opportunities for youth, empowering women and promoting inclusive growth.

#KenyaInSA Welcome Ceremony 🇿🇦🇰🇪

As we create the favourable conditions under which investment can take place that creates jobs at scale, the Presidency has been centrally involved in undertaking mass public employment.

The Presidential Employment Stimulus, coordinated through the Presidency, has created work and livelihood opportunities for more than 2.5 million unemployed South Africans.

The Presidential Employment Stimulus continues to demonstrate that public support for employment is a vital part of our overall employment strategy and can create opportunities for meaningful work and create real social value in the process.

Last year, the Basic Education Employment Initiative provided work experience for nearly 200,000 young people in schools across the country, with support also provided to social employment, the creative sector, metros and the National Youth Service.

The National Pathway Management Network continues to expand with more than 900,000 young people joining SA Youth mobi in the last year, increasing the number of young people on the platform to 5.7 million.

We spend more than 60% of our budget before interest costs on the social wage. This is an investment in our people.

Studies have shown that social grants have enabled beneficiaries to pursue diverse livelihoods, to start and sustain small businesses, to search for employment and to invest in a child's education.

Central to this strategy is our mission to end child stunting. In line with the commitment made in SONA, we have established an inter-departmental task team and are setting up mechanisms to engage civil society, business and trade unions to address the issue of hunger and malnutr…Mostrar mais

Of all the investments we are making, the most enduring and impactful is the investment we are making in our children.   The Presidency was centrally involved in developing the National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children, which was approved by Cabinet in December 2025.

The State Capture Commission estimated that more than R57 billion in public funds was lost through state capture.   As I reported yesterday, recoveries by law enforcement linked to the work of the Commission now stand at over R17 billion.   As a result of Presidential Proclamatio…Mostrar mais

Allow me to thank the members of this House for what has been, for the most part, a debate of substanceon Vote 1.   This debate has demonstrated that while we may differ on matters of policy and politics, there is broad agreement on the challenges confronting our nation and on th…Mostrar mais

South Africans expect of all of us not simply to diagnose the country’s problems, but to work together to solve them. They expect leadership, accountability and results.

Our task is therefore not simply to grow the economy. It is to ensure that growth is inclusive, sustainable and capable of transforming the lives of ordinary South Africans.

The Presidency’s purpose is to ensure coherence across government, to drive implementation, to remove obstacles to progress and to ensure that the priorities of the nation are translated into measurable outcomes.

Coordinating the repair of the damage wrought by state capture from the centre of government has been, and will continue to be, a critical function of this Presidency.

Economic growth, energy security, infrastructure investment, climate adaptation, national security, logistics reform and public employment cannot be effectively addressed by individual departments acting in isolation.

The Presidency's role in South Africa should therefore be understood not as the centralisation of power for its own sake, but as the coordination of national priorities that require collective action across multiple departments, spheres of government and social partners.

The partnerships we have built with business, labour, civil society, community organisations and development organisations have proven invaluable both in times of crisis and in times of reconstruction.

Through the implementation of the Energy Action Plan, through Eskom’s generation recovery programme, through the massive investment in renewable generation, we have in effect brought load shedding to an end.

For years, corruption, dysfunction and mismanagement at Transnet was a severe constraint on growth. It has taken a great effort, involving partners across government and across industry, to turn the situation around.

Transnet is now registering a steady increase in rail volumes and vessel traffic through its ports. Its financial position is improving and in the last financial year, cargo volumes through its ports showed its strongest growth in 15 years.

Reforms in the electricity sector, telecommunications, logistics, water and the visa system are improving the conditions for investment and economic expansion.

The investment drive we launched then has made a significant difference.   Of the total of R1.5 trillion in investment pledges over the first five years, a total of R634 billion has already been invested in new factories, new production lines, new mines, renewable energy plants,…Mostrar mais

This Presidency Budget Vote is the first to be considered since the National Assembly’s Committee on the Presidency was established in December 2025. #PresidencyBudget

The Presidency welcomes the establishment of the Committee and members of this House can be assured of our full support for its work.   Strengthening parliamentary oversight is good for transparency, accountability and our democracy.

The Presidency occupies a unique place within government in that it is not a service delivery department. The Presidency does not build roads, deliver water or supply medicines to clinics.   The Presidency is not simply a coordinating institution.

It is the strategic centre from which government drives implementation, resolves blockages, mobilises partnerships and ensures that the commitments we make to the people of South Africa are translated into tangible results.

The Presidency’s key role is:   Firstly, to drive inclusive growth and job creation.   Secondly, to reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living.   Thirdly, to build a capable, ethical and developmental state.

The Presidency ensures that the efforts of departments, provinces, municipalities and social partners are coordinated, focused and directed towards the achievement of our developmental objectives.