Category: English

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has called for stronger partnerships between government and faith-based organisations to address unemployment, crime, inequality, poverty, and other challenges facing South African communities.

Lesufi was delivering the keynote address on behalf of Deputy President Paul Mashatile at the United Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) Southern Synod Day 2026.

Held at the University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus on Sunday, Lesufi said the annual commemoration is more than an occasion for worship and fellowship, but also an opportunity to reaffirm the shared responsibility of government, churches and communities to build a society founded on justice, peace, human dignity and prayer.

He drew on the philosophical principle known as “Chesterton’s Fence”, which warns against removing established institutions or practices without first understanding their purpose and value.

Speaking under the theme: “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set,” Lesufi said the message is a reminder of where the country comes from, and all the struggles the nation encountered in the past and overcame.

“Ubuntu is a moral landmark we must preserve and pass on to future generations.
“It reminds us to care for and respect one another, because strong, morally grounded communities are built not by individuals alone, but by all of us working together and playing our part,” he said.

He warned that rapid technological advancement risked eroding cultural and social values if modernisation was not balanced with respect for traditional values.

“It is therefore important that we preserve our cultural landmarks by ensuring that modern progress does not completely erase our traditional values of respect, humanity, compassion, accountability and the shared responsibility of uplifting our communities.”

The Premier said the country’s challenges, including unemployment, crime, inequality and poverty, require collective action, with faith-based organisations playing an important role alongside government.

“Government alone cannot build the South Africa we desire,” he said, adding that government has seen the contribution of faith-based organisations in raising awareness about gender-based violence, bringing opportunities closer to communities, restoring hope and unity, and supporting vulnerable people.

He called for greater focus on young people and other previously marginalised groups, saying churches and other places of worship can become platforms for economic inclusion.

“With millions of young South Africans seeking economic inclusion, faith-based organisations can change that by transforming places of worship into hubs for skills training, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship mentorship.”

Such partnerships, he said, can help address poverty, restore hope and tackle substance abuse.
He stressed that collaboration between government and faith-based organisations must be underpinned by transparency and mutual accountability.

He said both government and faith-based organisations have a responsibility to ensure that public and social resources are used for community upliftment and the protection of vulnerable people.

He also called on citizens to become active participants in improving their communities.

“This is a direct call to action for every member of our communities; change does not belong to the Government or faith-based organisations alone; it belongs to us all,” Lesufi said.

He also urged communities to report gender-based violence incidents, support local entrepreneurs and hold local leaders accountable, while encouraging people to use churches and community halls as hubs for local development.

The Premier welcomed URCSA’s commitment to sustainable community outreach, youth and women’s ministry development and poverty alleviation. –SAnews.gov.za 

 

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Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni will lead the Women in Business Symposium, which aims to help women-owned businesses to move from survival to sustainable growth.

The symposium will take place at The Station in KwaZulu-Natal’s Durban on Monday, 14 September 2026.
The gathering is a Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) and Small Enterprise Finance and Development Agency (SEFDA) initiative.

“The session will bring together women entrepreneurs and key stakeholders to provide practical support and facilitate access to finance, markets, business opportunities and networks. 

“The symposium will also see 60 women entrepreneurs receive productive assets through the Informal Micro Enterprise Development Programme (IMEDP) to support business growth,” the DSBD said. –SAnews.gov.za

 

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New Delhi, India — The 18th BRICS Summit, held under India’s Presidency, has officially concluded, with leaders adopting the New Delhi Declaration, which reaffirms the spirit of mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusiveness, collaboration, and consensus.

The New Delhi BRICS Leaders’ Declaration sets out the shared priorities, commitments, and direction for BRICS cooperation going forward.

President Cyril Ramaphosa participated in the gathering, where leaders of BRICS countries met in New Delhi, India, from 12 to 13 September 2026 for the XVIII BRICS Summit, held under the theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”

During a media briefing at the conclusion of the Summit on Sunday, the President congratulated India for hosting a successful gathering and said he looked forward to the next Summit, which will be held in China in 2027.

“What really stood out was our commitment, as BRICS, to focus on advancing global governance of the multilateral system.

“All of us are saying that we adhere to a multilateral system where there is no dominance of one player or country over others; where we want countries that are in BRICS, and indeed countries outside of BRICS as well, to respect one another and to respect the sovereignty of all our countries in the world,” he said.

He stressed that BRICS wants a multilateral system without dominance by any one country.
“For instance, all of us did confirm that we want a multipolar world, a world that will live in harmony and that will advance the interests of each one of us,” President Ramaphosa said.

The BRICS grouping wants to focus on the advancement of all economies and improving people’s lives.
“And that, to me, was the key and central issue because we now live in a world that faces a lot of challenges and conflicts at the geopolitical level,” the President said.

South Africa used the Summit to advance its diplomatic and economic priorities, particularly by expanding intra-BRICS trade and investment, promoting industrialisation and value addition, and mobilising investment in African infrastructure aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

During its Presidency, India convened over 400 meetings and engagements involving Ministers, Parliamentarians, Heads of Agencies, officials, experts, businesses, and people in 30 cities across India under the BRICS cooperation framework, contributing to the strengthening of the BRICS strategic partnership.

“We welcome the progress made in enhancing collective resilience, promoting innovation-driven economic growth, advancing sustainable development, deepening people-to-people exchanges, and amplifying the voice of BRICS for greater representation in global governance,” the New Delhi Declaration said.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the BRICS spirit of mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusiveness, collaboration, and consensus.

“Building on two decades of BRICS, we further commit ourselves to strengthening cooperation in the expanded BRICS under the three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, [and] cultural and people-to-people cooperation, and to enhancing our strategic partnership for the benefit of our people through the promotion of peace, a more representative, fairer international order, a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system, sustainable development and inclusive growth.

“We recognise the valuable contribution of Partner Countries to BRICS cooperation. We underscore our strong belief that advancing the BRICS partnership with Emerging Markets and Developing Countries (EMDCs) will further contribute to strengthening the spirit of solidarity and international cooperation for the benefit of all,” the Declaration said.

The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to fostering inclusive, mutually beneficial and development-oriented partnerships with Partner Countries.

“We encourage their increasing participation in BRICS engagements and practical cooperation in areas of shared interest.

“We commend India for hosting the Outreach/BRICS Plus Dialogue segment of the 18th BRICS Summit, which injects new impetus to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity,” the Delhi Declaration said.

The grouping commended the significant progress achieved under India’s BRICS Chairship in 2026, under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, which reflects a shared commitment to strengthening BRICS cooperation in addressing common challenges through a balanced, practical, actionable, inclusive, development-oriented and people-centred approach.

“We reaffirm our commitment to advancing cooperation on the thematic priorities, particularly through strengthening capacities, promoting innovation, and advancing sustainable development and resilience,” the Declaration noted.

Having arrived in India on Friday, President Ramaphosa delivered remarks at the BRICS Business Forum focusing on trade and supply chains, agriculture, women-led development, the digital economy and innovation.

The Forum brought together BRICS leaders and business representatives, including members of the BRICS Business Council and BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, as well as investors and entrepreneurs from BRICS countries and partner economies.

The Forum plays an important role in shaping the BRICS economic agenda and strengthening business-to-business cooperation.

On Saturday, 12 September 2026, President Ramaphosa addressed the India-South Africa Business Leadership Roundtable, focusing on enhancing bilateral trade and investment between the two countries.

The forum also sought to encourage additional Indian foreign direct investment in key sectors, including pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, critical minerals, and the electric vehicle battery value chain.

Later in the day, he participated in a closed session of BRICS Leaders entitled: “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism.”

The session considered the need for a more inclusive, representative, and responsive global governance architecture, with a focus on reforming the United Nations system, the international financial architecture, and the multilateral trading system.

On Sunday, 13 September 2026, President Ramaphosa delivered a statement during the Summit’s open session for BRICS and invited leaders which focused on India’s Chairship priorities.

READ | SA calls for global oversight of artificial intelligence

— SAnews.gov.za

 

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Architecture in South Africa must be about more than designing buildings but help shape a society in which people can live with dignity, access opportunity and participate fully in the social and economic life of their communities.

This was the message by Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane at the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) Education Conference.

Addressing Friday’s virtual conference under the theme: “Architecture in Changing Times”, Simelane challenged architects, educators, students and government to consider a deeper question: “not simply what kind of buildings are being designed, but what kind of society is being designed.”

For the Department of Human Settlements, she said this means confronting one of South Africa’s most enduring challenges: spatial injustice. Apartheid deliberately shaped the country’s geography, determining where people could live, work and access services.

“More than three decades into our democracy, those spatial patterns have not disappeared. We still see communities where a person’s prospects are influenced profoundly by their postal code,” Simelane said.

The Minister said spatial transformation cannot be achieved by government departments or professions working in isolation, stressing that housing, schools, transport, public spaces, and economic opportunities must be planned as interconnected elements of integrated human settlements.

She highlighted the importance of viewing schools and other public facilities as community assets rather than isolated structures.

“A school must form part of a living settlement. It must connect to homes. It must connect to safe mobility routes, public spaces, [and] economic opportunity. It must connect to the broader social life of the community.”

She said shared community infrastructure can maximise the value of scarce public land, strengthen social ownership and help protect public assets.

“This requires architects to think beyond the individual building. We must ask how that building relates to the settlement around, how does it connect, who can use it, what happens there after school hours [and] what value does it create for the broader community? Architecture must increasingly help us turn public infrastructure into anchors around which stronger communities can grow,” Simelane said.

The Minister also emphasised that quality architecture is an expression of dignity, and communities that were historically denied investment must not continue receiving inferior infrastructure.

She said that a child attending school in a township, a rural community, or an informal settlement, should never receive the message that excellence, beauty and quality belong somewhere else.

“The quality of architecture communicates value,” Simelane argued, emphasising that infrastructure should send a clear message to every child that their community and future matter.

She said the construction process itself must also contribute to local development, and human settlements and public infrastructure projects should, where possible, create opportunities for local workers, artisans, small contractors and small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs).

Locally appropriate construction methods and materials can help build skills, stimulate local economies and strengthen community resilience.

“Architectural education must therefore equip professionals not only with technical competence, but with a deep understanding of place, inequality, sustainability, community, and spatial justice. We need professionals who can look at a drawing and understand that behind every line is a human experience.

“The professionals we educate today will help determine whether tomorrow’s South African settlement is fragmented or integrated, exclusionary or inclusive, unsustainable or resilient.”

She also called for stronger partnerships between government, universities, professional bodies, and the built-environment professions. She said integrated planning must begin “on the drawing board”, ensuring that residential development is planned alongside schools, transport, public spaces and economic opportunities.

She added that architecture has the potential to become a powerful instrument for social transformation.
“Let us use architecture not simply to construct facilities, but to reconstruct the spatial relationships of our society,” Simelane said. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has called for stronger partnerships between government and faith-based organisations to address unemployment, crime, inequality, poverty, and other challenges facing South African communities.

Lesufi was delivering the keynote address on behalf of Deputy President Paul Mashatile at the United Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) Southern Synod Day 2026.

Held at the University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus on Sunday, Lesufi said the annual commemoration is more than an occasion for worship and fellowship, but also an opportunity to reaffirm the shared responsibility of government, churches and communities to build a society founded on justice, peace, human dignity and prayer.

He drew on the philosophical principle known as “Chesterton’s Fence”, which warns against removing established institutions or practices without first understanding their purpose and value.

Speaking under the theme: “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set,” Lesufi said the message is a reminder of where the country comes from, and all the struggles the nation encountered in the past and overcame.

“Ubuntu is a moral landmark we must preserve and pass on to future generations.
“It reminds us to care for and respect one another, because strong, morally grounded communities are built not by individuals alone, but by all of us working together and playing our part,” he said.

He warned that rapid technological advancement risked eroding cultural and social values if modernisation was not balanced with respect for traditional values.

“It is therefore important that we preserve our cultural landmarks by ensuring that modern progress does not completely erase our traditional values of respect, humanity, compassion, accountability and the shared responsibility of uplifting our communities.”

The Premier said the country’s challenges, including unemployment, crime, inequality and poverty, require collective action, with faith-based organisations playing an important role alongside government.

“Government alone cannot build the South Africa we desire,” he said, adding that government has seen the contribution of faith-based organisations in raising awareness about gender-based violence, bringing opportunities closer to communities, restoring hope and unity, and supporting vulnerable people.

He called for greater focus on young people and other previously marginalised groups, saying churches and other places of worship can become platforms for economic inclusion.

“With millions of young South Africans seeking economic inclusion, faith-based organisations can change that by transforming places of worship into hubs for skills training, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship mentorship.”

Such partnerships, he said, can help address poverty, restore hope and tackle substance abuse.
He stressed that collaboration between government and faith-based organisations must be underpinned by transparency and mutual accountability.

He said both government and faith-based organisations have a responsibility to ensure that public and social resources are used for community upliftment and the protection of vulnerable people.

He also called on citizens to become active participants in improving their communities.

“This is a direct call to action for every member of our communities; change does not belong to the Government or faith-based organisations alone; it belongs to us all,” Lesufi said.

He also urged communities to report gender-based violence incidents, support local entrepreneurs and hold local leaders accountable, while encouraging people to use churches and community halls as hubs for local development.

The Premier welcomed URCSA’s commitment to sustainable community outreach, youth and women’s ministry development and poverty alleviation. –SAnews.gov.za 

 

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