By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is gearing up to attend the G7 summit in Canada next week, where he will meet with global leaders, including US president Donald Trump.
Ramaphosa was speaking on sidelines of his visit with youth beneficiaries of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) and Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) flagship programmes in Pretoria.
Ramaphosa began his programme at the Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville. He then proceed to the South African Creative Industries Incubator (SACCI) in Eersterust, and concluded at the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) in Pretoria East.
“I’m hoping that when we meet the various other leaders of various countries who are part of the G7, we’ll be able to interact meaningfully with them. I’m going to have bilaterals with the chancellor of Germany, with the prime minister of Canada, and of course, I will also be meeting President Trump, who we met at the White House,” he said.
Ramaphosa once again described his recent White House visit as a success, despite criticism surrounding allegations of an unfounded “white genocide.”
He said that the main objectives of the visit were to reset relationships between the two countries and focus on trade issues. “It’s important for us to reposition ourselves in the turbulent geopolitical architecture,” he stated.
South Africa was among the countries affected by the United States’ trade tariffs. Ramaphosa told reporters that discussions on trade were ongoing, and “those engagements are taking place.”
Ramaphosa said he was invited by Canada and the meeting of the G7 was a perfect opportunity for South Africa to “propagate” its G20 message “and how we want to see great outcomes out of the G20.”
“We’re going to use it (the G7 summit) as a platform to begin to consolidate what we want to achieve in November when the (G20) Leaders’ Summit takes place here, so it’s a great opportunity and we we’re hoping that there will be good outcomes out of it,” Ramaphosa noted.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)
The president noted that NPA boss Shamila Batohi walked back her claim about inflitration following a meeting with Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi last week.
“The NDPP did make that statement, and she has later said she used the wrong word about the infiltration.
“I’m going to have a meeting with her so she can really take out of her chest some of the challenges she is facing,” Ramaphosa said.
He emphasised that, despite challenges, the NPA has made notable progress in prosecuting high-profile cases.
“The NPA has really done considerable work to stabilise itself as well as to go on with various prosecutions.
“Quite often we look at those where there is failure or where there are mistakes, and we think the whole system is not working,” Ramaphosa said.
Teacher assistant programme
Ramaphosa spoke about the government’s ongoing commitment to the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) saying the employment initiative was in need of expansion.
He highlighted the programme’s positive impact and reiterated efforts to make such positions permanent.
“We would want it to be much longer than what it is now. It is a question of not having sufficient resources to be able to extend it beyond.”
He acknowledged weaknesses in the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), but claimed that the teacher assistant initiative has remained free of corruption.
He lauded the BEEI as a phenomenal programme, which has been able to employ more than two million young people since its inception. It is an overarching programme that covers over 25 000 schools across the country.
“We devote a lot of money and effort to education, and you are the products of that. We now need to take you to the next level, and we will work very hard to take you to the next level, where you will get more permanent jobs and better livelihoods, so you can support your own families,” the President said.