Category: Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for urgent reforms to unlock local economies, warning that poor governance at municipal level is undermining service delivery and stifling economic growth.

Delivering the keynote address at the 2026 National Local Economic Development (LED) Summit at the Birchwood Conference Centre on Wednesday, President Ramaphosa said persistent failures in local government are directly affecting economic opportunity.

“The Auditor-General’s report on local government highlights persistent weaknesses that directly undermine service delivery and constrain local economic development,” he said.

He listed key shortcomings, including “weak financial management and revenue collection, failure to maintain infrastructure, ineffective supply chain management, irregular and wasteful expenditure, and weak consequence management”.

These failures, he said, are felt daily by citizens and businesses.

“These challenges translate into unreliable electricity, water insecurity, poor roads, poor service delivery and unsafe trading environments.” 

President Ramaphosa stressed that governance reform is non-negotiable if municipalities are to play their role in economic development.

“Without fixing governance, we cannot fix service delivery and without fixing service delivery, we cannot unlock local economic development. The task of this summit is to shift the discussion from the problems to the solutions,” the President said. 

He raised concern over the chronic underinvestment in infrastructure maintenance, noting that municipalities are falling far below required benchmarks.

“National Treasury Guidelines require municipalities to budget 8% of the carrying value of property, plant and equipment. Many municipalities are budgeting less than 1%,” he said. 

The President called for improved revenue collection and greater use of private investment to address infrastructure backlogs, saying municipalities must take the lead in resolving service delivery constraints. 

“As my contribution to the deliberations of the summit, there are four sets of actions that I would like to put forward. The first of these is to unblock service delivery constraints at local government level, especially with regards to basic infrastructure,” he said. 

He emphasised that reliable energy, water and transport systems are essential to economic growth. 

“Energy security, water provision, roads and rail lines are the foundation of growth. We have made much progress in tackling load shedding and improving the efficiency of our logistics sector. This summit must now translate national progress into local success,” the President said. 

President Ramaphosa added that municipalities must ensure conducive conditions for businesses to operate. 

“Municipalities must be the frontline in unblocking infrastructure constraints, ensuring that the local industrial park has the power it needs… and that township businesses have streetlighting to trade safely beyond daylight hours,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States, describing him as a seasoned and capable envoy suited to strengthening bilateral relations.

The President confirmed the appointment on the sidelines of the National Local Economic Development (LED) Summit in Boksburg on Wednesday.

“Roelf Meyer is a South African, a very loyal and patriotic South African, who has distinguished himself in a number of areas where he has worked. And yes, he did lead the National Party negotiating team, together with myself. 

“He was a Cabinet Minister in the initial government of national unity and has done very well in those areas,” President Ramaphosa said. 

The President highlighted Meyer’s recent international mediation work as a key asset to his diplomatic role.

“Recently, he’s been involved in mediation processes in a number of countries, and that, in many ways, has sharpened his diplomatic skills, where he has been able to get involved either in conflict situations, trying to bring peace amongst differing warring parties at a very quiet level, continuing to assist even our government in these different diplomatic efforts,” he said. 

The President said Meyer has already begun engaging key stakeholders in the United States.

“When we needed to appoint an Ambassador to the United States, I found him to be more than qualified to be able to work in the United States, recalibrate our relationship with the United States and interface with a number of stakeholders. 

“As it is now, he’s been interfacing with a number of people in the United States, both in Capitol Hill and in the various departments of the United States.

“Already a lot of interactions have taken place. So he is, for me, more than well qualified to execute this task,” the President said. 

He added that Meyer is expected to formally present his credentials to the US government.

“He still has to present his credentials to the government of the United States or to the President of the United States and I am more than hopeful that just as we have received and accepted the credentials of Ambassador Bozell, he will also be accredited equally in that manner,” President Ramaphosa said. 

President Ramaphosa expressed confidence that Meyer will represent South Africa effectively.

“He has always flown the South African flag, and he will do so like all our ambassadors all over the world, and all we should do is to wish him well and the very best, and give him all the support that he needs,” the President said. 

He emphasised the importance of the United States as a strategic partner.

“The United States is the largest economy in the world, and it still plays an important role in our own economic fortunes,” said the President. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for sweeping reforms to cut red tape and support small businesses, warning that bureaucratic delays at municipal level are driving away investment and limiting opportunities for township entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the 2026 National Local Economic Development (LED) Summit at the Birchwood Conference Centre, President Ramaphosa said improving the ease of doing business must be a top priority for local government.

“Cutting red tape is crucial both to attract large scale investments and also to enable informal traders and small township entrepreneurs to succeed,” he said on Wednesday. 

While acknowledging progress in some municipalities, he expressed concern that these remain isolated successes.

“Some of our cities and municipalities have done well in improving the ease of doing business. They have systems and targets for zoning approvals, issuing construction permits, connecting businesses with water and electricity, issuing trading and business licences, including using e-registration systems. There is regulatory certainty. However, I worry that these municipalities are the exception rather than the rule,” the President said. 

He pointed to administrative inefficiencies that continue to block economic activity.

“More often than not, bureaucratic delays at municipal level prevent local investments from getting over the line,” he said. 

Among the key challenges are delays in issuing business licences, which prevent small enterprises from accessing support.

“There are backlogs in issuing business licences, which, among other things, prevent micro enterprises from accessing government support. This must change,” he emphasised. 

President Ramaphosa said government is working to address these issues through policy reforms, including the Business Licensing Bill and the Red Tape Reduction Framework, but stressed that municipalities must act decisively. 

“We call on local government to drive its own red tape reduction reforms,” he said. 

He further urged stronger collaboration between municipalities and the private sector to unlock local economic potential.

“We would also like to see continuous engagement with local business associations and forums, so that we may understand their frustrations and address their concerns,” he said. 

The President emphasised that investment decisions are heavily influenced by how business-friendly municipalities are.

“Investment will always gravitate towards municipalities that make it easy to do business,” the President said. 

He also called on established businesses to partner with municipalities, develop local suppliers, invest in skills and open value chains. 

“We must leave this summit with a programme of action that binds us to clear deliverables and timelines. 

“We must ensure that the collaborative blueprint we draft here over the next two days contributes to a new reality for every South African, for every business, in every municipality, in every corner of our land,” he said. 

He concluded by reaffirming the country’s entrepreneurial potential and the need to create an enabling environment for it to thrive.

“South Africa is a country of entrepreneurs. Our task is to unleash their potential and, in so doing, to build an inclusive economy that creates opportunities for all,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned of severe storms over the extreme north-east of the Northern Cape, the North West, and the Free State on Wednesday. 

Due to the upper air system (cut-off low), conditions are favourable for the development of severe storms, potentially leading to minor impacts.

Due to these conditions, there could be localised damage to infrastructure, settlements (informal), localised flooding of susceptible roads, low-lying areas and bridges, and trees could block minor roads.

The outlook for Thursday and Friday is partly cloudy and warm, but it will be cool in places in the east and south with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers possible over the central and eastern parts of the country. –SAnews.gov.za

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Finance Francois Rodgers has welcomed the comprehensive engagement held with the Government of India on its Government e-Marketplace (GeM) — a world-class digital public procurement platform designed to enhance transparency, efficiency and inclusivity in government procurement systems.

Rodgers noted the strong alignment between the principles underpinning the GeM platform and KwaZulu-Natal’s own efforts to modernise procurement through digital reform.

The GeM platform, which operates as a fully digital, rule-based and transparent procurement marketplace, has been instrumental in reducing human transactional interfaces, improving price determination, expanding supplier participation, particularly among small and emerging enterprises, and strengthening audit trails within public procurement processes.

Rodgers said KwaZulu-Natal Treasury is pursuing a similar vision through the implementation of the provincial digital procurement plan aimed at modernising procurement practices, strengthening financial governance, and curbing inefficiencies and opportunities for maladministration.

“The engagement with the Government of India confirms that KwaZulu-Natal is on the right path in its digital procurement reform journey. Digital procurement platforms are critical for building capable institutions, improving oversight, and restoring public trust in the management of public resources,” Rodgers said in a statement on Wednesday.

He said the KwaZulu-Natal government remains open to learning, development and partnership with other governments and institutions that have successfully implemented innovative reforms in public financial management.

“We recognise that no government operates in isolation. There is value in learning from international best practice and adapting proven systems to strengthen service delivery outcomes and ensure value for money for our citizens,” he said.

The engagement forms part of KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Treasury’s broader commitment to advancing the vision of an ethical and capable State, where public finances are managed transparently and procurement systems directly support inclusive economic growth and improved service delivery.

Under Rodgers’ leadership, the department is expected to continue exploring collaborative opportunities, knowledge exchange platforms, and reform partnerships aimed at strengthening governance, accountability, and institutional capacity across the province. – SAnews.gov.za