Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya has dismissed claims that South Africa is becoming diplomatically isolated following recent anti-illegal immigration protests, accusing some African countries, particularly Ghana and, to a lesser extent, Nigeria, of spreading misinformation while insisting that South Africa remains fully engaged on the continent and internationally.

His remarks follow the Presidency’s rejection last week of reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa had sought a state visit to Ghana and had been rebuffed over South Africa’s handling of migration.

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“As the South African Presidency, we firmly reject and caution against the peddling of misinformation against South Africa. We further assert that any campaign that seeks to misrepresent South Africa will be rejected with the utmost contempt that it deserves,” Magwenya said.

“Recent evidence has shown that this false campaign, concerning as it is, is faltering. South Africa is not isolated. On the contrary, South Africa remains firmly engaged with our African continent as well as the rest of the world.”

Magwenya was briefing the media at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday on issues of domestic and international significance, outlining Ramaphosa’s position and that of the government.

He said he was particularly concerned by what he described as Ghana’s “anti-diplomatic and unconstructive posture” towards South Africa. He added that the government had raised the matter with Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa and appealed for engagement with the Ghanaian government.

“We have taken note of the campaign, primarily driven by Ghana and, to a lesser extent, Nigeria, although not as concerted as Ghana. That campaign is faltering, and we are going to reject it and assert our rightful position, not only on the continent but amongst the global community,” Magwenya said.

He also noted reports of threats by some Ghanaian representatives to nationalise South African-owned companies operating in Ghana, warning that such action would damage Ghana’s economy as much as South Africa’s.

Magwenya said many South African companies operating in Ghana employ Ghanaian citizens and contribute to the country’s economic development.

He added that trade agreements between African countries are based on reciprocal benefits and should not be used as instruments to punish individual states.

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“Any move to appropriate South African company assets in any of these countries will be counterproductive and will undermine those countries’ economic development aspirations. It will signal that those countries are no longer open for trade and business. It will also create greater uncertainty for investors,” he said.

Magwenya said the government had found no evidence that Ghanaian nationals had been disproportionately affected by the recent anti-illegal immigration protests in South Africa.

He also suggested that external actors, particularly Israel, could be contributing to efforts to isolate South Africa internationally, pointing to recent moves by Ghana and Israel to strengthen bilateral relations.

Magwenya said some Israeli officials had previously called for South Africa to be “punished” after Pretoria instituted genocide proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice over its military campaign in Gaza.

He said the government remained alert to possible forms of diplomatic retaliation from several countries, including some on the African continent.

“Not much damage has been done to our country’s image, as evidenced by the interactions we continue to have with our international counterparts on the continent and in other parts of the world,” Magwenya said.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked the Western Cape High Court to stop Parliament from commencing public hearings in its Section 89 impeachment process until the court rules on his application to review the independent panel’s report that found sufficient evidence to justify an impeachment inquiry.

During proceedings on Wednesday, Ramaphosa’s counsel, Advocate Wim Trengove SC, said the President was seeking only an interim interdict pending the review hearing, scheduled for 2 to 4 September.

“The scope of the interdict he seeks is limited to the commencement of the public hearings,” Trengove told the court.

“So this court’s interdict will expire when this court gives judgment in the review.”

Trengove argued that the independent panel applied the wrong legal test by equating “sufficient evidence” with a prima facie case instead of conducting a broader qualitative assessment of whether the evidence justified the “momentous step” of a public impeachment inquiry.

“The panel got the test wrong,” he said.

“It simply said, ‘Is there a prima facie case?’ By asking itself the wrong question, it deprived the President of the protection of the requirement that there be sufficient evidence for the momentous step of an inquiry.”

He argued that the Section 89 impeachment process is punitive in nature and that Parliament’s rules require an independent panel to shield a president from a public inquiry unless there are sufficient grounds.

Trengove also submitted that the panel failed to consider whether there was evidence that Ramaphosa acted intentionally or in bad faith in relation to the allegations against him.

“The panel never even asked that question,” he said.

“It can’t come to the conclusion that there is prima facie evidence that the President acted in bad faith when it never asked that question and never answered it.”

The judges questioned whether a public impeachment inquiry would necessarily prejudice the President, suggesting it could equally result in his exoneration.

Responding, Trengove said: “It is humiliating to put a president on trial without good reason. The legislature created that buffer, and he’s entitled to that protection.”

Counsel for Parliament’s impeachment committee, Advocate William Mokhare SC, opposed the application, arguing that granting the interdict would undermine Parliament’s constitutional duty to hold the President accountable.

He warned that the order would “set a dangerous precedent because it means that it will open a way where even other presidents that are still coming may simply stall this important constitutional accountability process.”

Mokhare argued that the independent panel was not required to determine the President’s guilt, but only whether the evidence before it established a case for him to answer.

“The panel’s duty is simply to say that we have now looked at this material placed before us, we are satisfied that there is a case to answer by the President and then that step is concluded,” he said.

He rejected Ramaphosa’s contention that the panel had confused “prima facie evidence” with “sufficient evidence”, arguing that the Constitutional Court had used the concepts interchangeably.

Mokhare said the panel repeatedly referred to “sufficient evidence” throughout its report and correctly applied its mandate before recommending that the matter proceed to an impeachment inquiry.

He further submitted that the Constitutional Court had triggered the impeachment process and that Parliament was constitutionally obliged to carry it through.

While the President was entitled to challenge the panel’s report on review, Mokhare argued, that did not automatically suspend Parliament’s accountability process or justify halting the committee’s work.

The hearing continues.

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On this Saturday, 18 July, South Africa will join the nations of the world in celebrating Nelson Mandela International Day. As we approach this day, we consider not only the acts of service that millions will perform on that day, but also the deeper purpose that Madiba intended the marking of his birthday to serve. 
 
In 2009, the United Nations General Assembly declared 18 July to be Nelson Mandela International Day.

This was not a South African occasion that the world chose to notice.

It is a global day of action to harness Madiba’s legacy in service of a challenge that confronts most nations: the fight against poverty, inequality and injustice. 
 
This year, we ask every South African to heed that call.

Let us give our 67 minutes through acts of service that feed the hungry, comfort the lonely or support the elderly. Let us lend our skills and time to the organisations that serve our communities every day. These acts matter because they change lives. 
 
But Madiba was clear that overcoming poverty is not an act of charity, but an act of justice. So on this Mandela Day, let us also recommit ourselves to the difficult task of ending poverty and inequality in our country and in our world. 
 
Among other things, this means transforming the rules and institutions that govern the world’s finances so that they serve the needs of developing economies, not only the wealthiest.

It means ensuring that the commitments made to the countries bearing the heaviest burden of climate change are honoured and strengthened. 
 
Through our G20 Presidency last year, we placed the issue of inequality firmly on the global agenda.

We are now working with other countries and institutions to establish an International Panel on Inequality to monitor global inequality, assess its causes and consequences and recommend the policies needed to reverse it.

No nation can overcome inequality alone; we need coordinated multilateral action, rooted in solidarity and shared responsibility.
 
As a country, we must use Mandela Day to refocus our efforts to tackle poverty and inequality. We must sustain our investment in the education and health of our people, prioritising the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable.

We must continue to direct energy and resources towards strengthening early learning in our schools and completing the overhaul of our skills development system.

At the same time, we must continue to build a health care system that provides quality care to all who need it, regardless of their ability to pay.
 
To tackle poverty and inequality, we must ensure that our laws and policies protect workers and that our regulatory environment encourages investment.

At the same time, we are continuing to improve our social protection system and helping people build livelihoods, gain skills and find work through our public and social employment programmes. 
 
The acts of service we perform this Saturday are not merely symbolic gestures, disconnected from the harder business of building institutions, driving investment, and changing systems and policies. They are part of the same effort.
 
So this Mandela Day, as we serve our communities, let us also renew our resolve to tackle the poverty and inequality that make such service necessary in the first place.
 
Madiba taught us that building a just, caring and inclusive society is not the work of governments alone. It is the work of ordinary people performing extraordinary acts of compassion, courage and service.

As Madiba said: “It is now in your hands.”
 
Let the acts of service that we undertake this week be part of the foundation on which we build a better country and a better world for all.

Cyril Ramaphosa is President of South Africa.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that South Africa must correct the racial injustice that excluded black servicemen from the country’s official memory of the First World War, declaring that national sacrifice could not be divided according to race.

Speaking at the 110th commemoration of the Battle of Delville Wood in northern France, Ramaphosa said South Africa had for decades honoured only part of its wartime history while diminishing the contributions of black labourers and servicemen.

“We gather to affirm that the memory of a nation cannot be divided according to race,” Ramaphosa said.

“Sacrifice has no colour — and courage belongs to no single community.”

The ceremony formed part of Ramaphosa’s official visit to France from 10 to 12 July, during which he held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, participated in high-level education meetings at UNESCO headquarters in Paris and met French business leaders.

Ramaphosa paid tribute to the South African soldiers who fought at Delville Wood, members of the Cape Corps, the South African Native Labour Contingent and more than 600 black South Africans who died when the SS Mendi sank in the English Channel in February 1917.

He said the contributions of many black South Africans had been ignored or deliberately excluded from the official history of the country under racial rule.

“For too long, South Africa remembered only part of this history,” he said. “Today, we remember it in full.”

More than 3,000 soldiers from the 1st South African Infantry Brigade entered Delville Wood on 15 July, 1916, during the Battle of the Somme, after being ordered to capture and hold the wooded area “at all costs”.

The troops endured six days and five nights of artillery bombardment, repeated attacks, scarce water and dwindling supplies. Only a small number were able to leave the wood in organised formation when the brigade was relieved on 20 July.

Ramaphosa said the battle had become a symbol of South African courage, but warned against glorifying the conditions in which the soldiers died.

“War is not glorious to those who lie wounded in the mud,” he said.

“There is no glory in a mother receiving a telegram informing her that her son will not return.”

Ramaphosa said the history of South Africa’s participation in the war could not be told solely through the experiences of white combat soldiers.

More than 20,000 black South Africans travelled to France as members of the South African Native Labour Contingent, where they unloaded ships, built roads, maintained railway lines, carried supplies, handled ammunition and buried the dead.

Under the racial policies of the Union of South Africa, they were generally barred from carrying arms as equal soldiers in the European theatre.

“They were willing to serve. They were willing to risk their lives. But they were denied the status, recognition and dignity afforded to white combatants,” Ramaphosa said.

He said their work was essential to the Allied war effort but was treated for decades as though it mattered less.

“This was not merely an omission,” he said. “It was an injustice.”

Ramaphosa said the tragedy of the SS Mendi was among the clearest examples of that injustice.

The ship was carrying more than 800 members of the labour contingent towards France when it was struck by another vessel in thick fog near the Isle of Wight on 21 February, 1917.

More than 600 black South Africans died after the ship sank.

“Their deaths were deaths in service. Their sacrifice was a national sacrifice. Yet their recognition was not equal,” Ramaphosa said.

He said black South Africans had been expected to demonstrate loyalty to a country that denied them political rights, equality and adequate protection.

“They fought for a country that did not grant them equal citizenship,” he said.

“Their service exposed the moral bankruptcy of racial rule.”

He said the Delville Wood Memorial’s transformation from a monument primarily associated with white soldiers into a site commemorating all South Africans who served was an act of historical justice.

But he said memorials alone were insufficient and called for the fuller history of black servicemen to be included in textbooks, classrooms and national ceremonies.

“We cannot honour the soldier and forget the labourer who supplied him,” Ramaphosa said.

“We cannot remember Delville Wood and neglect the SS Mendi. We cannot speak of national sacrifice while excluding the majority of the nation.”

Ramaphosa also used the address to call for diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of modern conflicts, saying the First World War demonstrated how failures by political leaders were ultimately paid for in human lives.

“As South Africa, we must remain committed to the peaceful resolution of conflict,” he said.

“We must defend the principles of international law. We must oppose aggression and the targeting of civilians. We must support diplomacy, dialogue and negotiation.”

Ramaphosa said South Africa must build a common national memory that recognised the different experiences of those who served without diminishing their equal humanity.

“Their experiences were not the same. Their treatment was not equal. But their humanity was equal. Their courage was equal. The grief of their families was equal,” he said.

He said restoring the forgotten contributions of black servicemen was part of building the democratic and equal country that those who served during the war had been denied.

“True patriotism does not require us to hide injustice,” he said. “True patriotism requires us to correct it.”

“To all South Africans who served and died in the First World War, we say: You belong to one national memory. You are part of one shared history. You are mourned by one people.”

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South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Jayden Adams has died at the age of 25, Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie said on Saturday, weeks after the player represented Bafana Bafana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“It is with profound shock and a heavy heart that I have learnt of the passing of Jayden Adams, midfielder for Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana, at the age of 25,” McKenzie said in a statement.

The South African Football Players Union also confirmed Adams’s death, describing him as a gifted player and “a proud servant of the game” whose life and career had been cut short.

President Cyril Ramaphosa also said on Saturday that he was mourning Adams alongside former South African Rugby Under-18 prop Luqobo Makwedini, who died at the age of 20.

“It is particularly tragic that we are suffering the loss of two outstanding, young athletes at a time when our nation continues to immerse itself in the FIFA World Cup tournament, as well as the Springboks’ and Springbok Women’s matches against Scotland and the USA Eagles in Pretoria today,” Ramaphosa said.

Born in Komga in the Eastern Cape, Makwedini’s talent on the field earned him a
scholarship to Wynberg Boys’ High School in Cape Town, where his performances in
the front row earned him national recognition at Under-18 level.

He went on to sign a three-year contract with Béziers, and was on the cusp of realising his dream of professional senior rugby ahead of the club’s 2026/27 Pro D2 campaign. It has been reported that he died after a training session with Béziers.

Said McKenzie of Makwedini: “Luqobo represented South Africa with distinction, and his passing is a loss not only to his loved ones but to South African rugby as a whole. May his family find strength and comfort, and may his memory continue to inspire the young players who will follow in his footsteps.”

Despite speculation that Adams may have committed suicide, McKenzie said the cause of his death had not been established.

He appealing to the media and public to avoid speculation while his family and club were given privacy to mourn.

“The cause of Jayden’s passing has not yet been confirmed, and I wish to appeal to members of the media and the public to exercise restraint and compassion, and to refrain from speculation,” McKenzie said.

He said any official information would be communicated by the appropriate parties.

Adams began his career at Stellenbosch FC, progressing through the club’s academy before becoming its first academy graduate to sign a professional contract in August 2020.

He made 139 appearances for Stellenbosch and helped the Cape Winelands club win the 2023 Carling Knockout before joining South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns in January 2025, according to the minister’s statement.

McKenzie said Adams later added a domestic Premiership title and a CAF Champions League crown to his honours during his time with the Pretoria club.

“South African football has lost one of its brightest young talents, and our nation mourns alongside his family, his teammates and the millions of supporters who watched him grow from a promising academy prospect into a full Bafana Bafana international,” McKenzie said.

Adams was part of the South African squad that claimed bronze at the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire in 2024 and was selected by coach Hugo Broos for the 2026 World Cup.

He appeared in all three of South Africa’s group matches as Bafana Bafana reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. He was an unused substitute when South Africa were eliminated by co-hosts Canada in the round of 32.

Adams played against Czechia in Atlanta shortly after learning that his grandmother, Marianna Adams, had died hours before the match.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a fundamental overhaul of global education financing, warning that quality education cannot remain out of reach for millions because of poverty, inequality and weak public finances.

Speaking at the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 High-Level Steering Committee Leaders Group meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Friday, Ramaphosa said education was central to achieving the broader United Nations 2030 Agenda and urged countries to strengthen investment in resilient education systems.

Co-chairing the meeting with UNESCO Director-General Prof Khaled El-Enany, Ramaphosa said the world was facing interconnected challenges, including conflict, pandemics, poverty, inequality and climate change, making the global education agenda more urgent than ever.

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“SDG 4 occupies a unique position in that it is the bedrock and the enabler of the other SDGs. It is a catalyst for expanding human capability, unlocking opportunity, and delivering progress across the full ambition of Agenda 2030,” he said.

Ramaphosa said quality education must remain a public good rather than a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.

“As such, it must be safeguarded against commodification, and from becoming a privilege that excludes millions of people on account of geography, age, income, gender or personal circumstances. This is what leaving no-one behind means,” he said.

The President identified three priorities for the committee’s work: strengthening foundational and lifelong learning, supporting the teaching profession, and advancing inclusive digital transformation.

He said governments must invest more effectively in education and strengthen public financial management to ensure resources reach classrooms.

“We know that in far too many instances globally, scarce financial resources that could be invested in education are being lost or whittled away due to mismanagement, corruption and poor planning,” Ramaphosa said.

He welcomed the Sustainable Financing Pathways endorsed earlier this year by the Global Partnership for Education, UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank and G7 partners, saying the framework would help countries move away from fragmented aid towards long-term, country-led financing strategies.

Ramaphosa also highlighted innovations such as debt-for-education swaps already being piloted in Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire.

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Looking beyond the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, he said young people were already helping shape the future of global education. Consultations involving 20,000 young people from 95 countries had identified priorities including improved access to education, stronger mental health support, more flexible learning pathways and greater participation in decision-making.

He said the work of 747 experts from 111 countries would inform the Global Education Futures Outlook, which is expected to be presented at the 2027 Global Education Meeting.

Ramaphosa also urged countries to maintain momentum on education reforms through international forums, noting that South Africa had promoted foundational learning, teacher development and the mutual recognition of qualifications during its G20 Presidency.

“The responsibility now falls to each of us. Member States must embed risk-informed policies into every sectoral strategy, partners must align with country-led investment plans rather than creating new projects, young people must be treated as co-creators and not only beneficiaries, and gender-responsive planning must become the norm,” he said.

He concluded by urging world leaders to translate the committee’s commitments into tangible improvements for learners.

“Let us leave Paris today with the resolve to turn the decisions of this Committee into the daily reality of every learner. The generation of today and the generations of the future are counting on us to build and deliver education systems worthy of their promise,” Ramaphosa said.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has granted the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System an extension to complete its work, pushing back the deadline for its final report by more than two months.

The Presidency announced on Thursday that the commission will now submit its final report on 16 November 2026, instead of the previously anticipated deadline of the end of August.

According to a statement, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the extension also provides the commission with additional time to conclude its evidence-gathering process.

“The extension granted by the President sets an evidence deadline of Friday, 2 October 2026, and a reporting deadline of Monday, 16 November, to enable the Commission to close off topics it has opened up in the course of hearings to date,” Magwenya said.

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The presidency said the additional time would ensure the commission is able to fulfil its mandate and investigate all matters falling within its terms of reference.

“Without an extension, the Commission will have to leave large parts of its work unfinished,” Magwenya said.

The Commission, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, was established to investigate allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption within South Africa’s criminal justice system.

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Its inquiry has focused on claims involving elements of the South African Police Service, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Crime Intelligence and other law enforcement structures.

Since commencing public hearings, the Commission has heard testimony from numerous current and former senior police officials, investigators and expert witnesses.

Evidence presented during the inquiry has included allegations of political interference in criminal investigations, corruption within law enforcement agencies, failures in intelligence oversight, and weaknesses in financial disclosure and lifestyle audit systems for senior officials.

Magwenya said the president reaffirmed his support for the commission’s work and acknowledged the progress made by investigators acting on evidence emerging from its hearings.

“President Ramaphosa once again expresses his deepest appreciation for the work conducted by the Commission as well as for the manner in which law enforcement agencies are following up testimony emerging from Commission hearings,” Magwenya said.

The commission is now expected to conclude the hearing of evidence by 2 October before preparing and submitting its final report to the president in mid November, marking the culmination of one of the country’s most significant inquiries into corruption and political interference within the criminal justice system.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa had the constitutional power to appoint Dina Pule as Minister of Social Development. The question is whether lawful appointment power should end the inquiry when the person selected carries serious findings of past misconduct. 

In a constitutional democracy founded on accountability, responsiveness and openness, legality should be the starting point of confidence, not a substitute for it.

Pule was removed from Cabinet in 2013 amid investigations into the ICT Indaba and her relationship with businessman Phosane Mngqibisa. 

Parliament’s multiparty ethics process later found that she had failed to disclose relevant interests, provided misleading information and wilfully misled the panel. She was reprimanded, fined the equivalent of 30 days’ salary and suspended from parliamentary activity for 15 days. 

The Public Protector subsequently found that she had failed to manage a conflict of interest, allowed officials to facilitate improper benefits for Mngqibisa and acted inconsistently with section 96 of the Constitution and the Executive Ethics Code.

Pule was not criminally convicted in the ICT Indaba matter and not every allegation against her was substantiated. 

The question is therefore not whether she should be permanently excluded from public life. 

Return to public power must be explained 

Democratic government should permit punishment, correction, contrition and return. But return to Cabinet is not an ordinary second chance. It is the restoration of substantial public power and where trust has previously been broken, that restoration should be explained.

This is especially important in Social Development. National Treasury estimates that 42% of South Africa’s population relies on social grants or social relief of distress as a major source of income. 

The department’s 2026/27 budget exceeds R302 billion, with almost R293 billion directed to social assistance. It is responsible for children, older persons, persons with disabilities and households living close to the edge. Its work includes preventing fraud, protecting grant administration and ensuring that rightful beneficiaries are paid on time.

South Africa has already seen the consequences when leadership failures in this portfolio become litigation, administrative paralysis and public anxiety. 

Bathabile Dlamini 

The social-grants crisis under former Minister Bathabile Dlamini resulted in severe criticism and a personal costs order. That history should have produced a high standard for leadership at Social Development. Instead, the public has been given the appointment but not the reasoning behind it.

Section 91 of the Constitution gives the President authority to appoint and dismiss Ministers. Sections 92 and 96, however, make clear that Cabinet members are accountable to Parliament, must act in accordance with the Constitution and may not expose themselves to conflicts of interest or use office to benefit themselves or others improperly. 

South Africa therefore regulates misconduct once a Minister is in office, but has no transparent public-integrity threshold for determining when a person with serious adverse findings is fit to return.

Integrity requirements 

And, that gap creates a troubling inversion. Ordinary public servants, tender bidders and candidates for several independent institutions must satisfy integrity requirements beyond bare legal eligibility. Yet at the apex of executive government, the public is often expected to accept that because an appointment may lawfully be made, it has been sufficiently justified.

The answer is not an automatic lifetime ban. Such a rule would be unfair to genuine rehabilitation. The answer is to require the Presidency to show its work. Whenever a Minister or Deputy Minister with serious adverse judicial, parliamentary, Public Protector or similar findings is appointed or reappointed, the Presidency should publish an Integrity and Suitability Statement, similar to what is required in the United Kingdom.

That statement should identify the findings, explain whether they remain operative or were set aside, confirm whether sanctions and remedial action were completed and state what evidence of rehabilitation was considered. 

It should explain why the person is suitable for the specific portfolio, disclose relevant conflict-management measures and set governance expectations. Untested allegations should be distinguished from formal findings.

This would not transfer appointment power to Parliament, the courts or an unelected ethics body. It would preserve the President’s discretion while making it transparent and accountable. 

Enhanced public scrutiny 

Other democracies use structured declarations, ethics reviews and public scrutiny for senior executive appointments. South Africa need not copy those systems wholesale to accept that an obvious integrity question requires a public answer.

Parliament is reviewing its ethics framework and the Executive Ethics Code. That process should address not only how misconduct is punished after appointment, but how past misconduct is assessed before power is restored. The Presidency could adopt the proposed statement immediately, with Parliament later formalising it in law.

Politics may forgive. Parties may rehabilitate. Time may show that a person has changed. But Cabinet office exists to serve the public, not to repair the standing of a politician. Dina Pule may perform well as Minister of Social Development. The concern is that South Africans have been asked to presume that trust has been restored without being shown why.

Public office is not a rehabilitation programme. Where trust was once broken, the return to power must be earned, assessed and explained before the appointment is made, not assumed because it has been.

Ismail Joosub is manager of the Constitutional Advancement Programme at the FW de Klerk Foundation. 

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed former communications minister Dina Pule as Minister of Social Development, returning her to Cabinet more than a decade after Parliament’s ethics committee found her guilty of breaching its code of conduct.

Pule was fired by then-President Jacob Zuma in July 2013 and sanctioned by Parliament’s ethics committee, which found that she had failed to disclose her personal relationship with businessman Phosane Mngqibisa.

The committee found that Mngqibisa had benefited from government-funded overseas trips and official meetings despite having no formal role in the Department of Communications, and that his company, Khemano, was paid R6 million for the 2012 ICT Indaba. Mngqibisa also told the committee he had received R600,000 as a “salary”.

Pule’s appointment was announced on Tuesday evening by The Presidency as part of changes to the national executive following consultations between Ramaphosa and the leadership of the Democratic Alliance.

The Presidency said Pule would fill the vacant Social Development portfolio, while several DA figures would be moved into ministerial and deputy ministerial posts across departments.

Willem Aucamp has been appointed Minister of Agriculture, while David Maynier becomes Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

Ramaphosa also appointed former DA leader and former Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. Alexandra Abrahams was named Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, Jack Bloom Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, and Yusuf Cassim Deputy Minister of Higher Education.

The changes affect the portfolios of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and the environment, trade, industry and competition, electricity and energy, higher education, and water and sanitation.

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Tomorrow, 30 June, marks the date that several groupings have identified for protests against undocumented immigration in South Africa.  
 
South Africans have raised deep concerns about illegal immigration, border management, pressure on public services, criminal syndicates that exploit our immigration system and the impact these challenges have on communities. These concerns are real and they deserve to be heard.

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The right to protest is enshrined in our Constitution. It is a credit to our robust democratic order that people are able to express their grievances openly. But the right to protest and freedom of expression does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence. 
 
South Africa is a constitutional republic governed by the rule of law. The exercise of rights by any citizen in a constitutional democracy cannot be determined by intimidation, threats or ultimatums. It must be determined through democratic institutions, evidence and the rule of law.
 
What we should seek as citizens and as a society is to work together to address the legitimate concerns that many South Africans have raised. Government has a responsibility not only to listen to these concerns but to respond with effective action. Citizens have a responsibility to pursue change peacefully and within the framework of our Constitution.
 
Government has accepted that our immigration system requires substantial reform. We are strengthening border management, increasing enforcement against undocumented immigration, improving the integrity of the asylum and visa systems, and taking action against corruption that has weakened immigration control.
 
We also recognise that where our systems have failed, they must be corrected. Where corruption has enabled illegal immigration, those responsible must be held accountable. Where enforcement has been inadequate, it must improve.
 
Over the last few weeks, we have seen support for these measures and for government’s stance from across society. We have held meetings with the country’s traditional monarchs and other traditional and Khoi-San leaders, with trade union and business leaders, with the religious community and with other formations in society. 
 
Freedom comes with responsibility. The right to protest is one of the defining freedoms of our democracy, but every right carries corresponding responsibilities. Those who intend to protest should do so peacefully, lawfully and with respect for the rights, dignity and safety of others.
 
Where there is criminal conduct, those responsible will be held accountable and the law will take its course. We must reject the idea that acts of violence or intimidation are justified on the basis of a grievance, for political reasons, or because those who commit such acts claim they were somehow provoked. 
 
Some foreign nationals who live in South Africa are here lawfully. They work, study, raise families, invest in our economy and contribute positively to our society. They too are entitled to the protection of our laws and our Constitution.

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We welcome the assurances by some of the organisers of the planned protests that they stand against violence on the part of their supporters. They will be held to this undertaking, because no cause, no matter how legitimate, will be an excuse to shift responsibility for violent acts. 
 
We further welcome the support received from traditional, religious and community leaders, from business, labour and civil society organisations that have called for tolerance and respect for the rule of law. 
 
Achieving a legitimate end does not justify unlawful means, whether it is reform of the country’s immigration frameworks or better service delivery.  
 
The painful history of the pass laws reminds us why the authority to demand identification and enforce immigration laws belongs to government law-enforcement officers acting within the Constitution—not to private individuals. Whatever the motivation, taking the law into one’s own hands is vigilantism and has no place in our constitutional democracy.
 
This is a betrayal of the very constitutional order those who commit such acts claim to be defending. It is vigilantism thinly disguised in the language of patriotism. 
 
We must never allow ourselves to return to that painful chapter of our history where people were stopped on the street, had their physical identities scrutinised, and their right to move freely in the country hindered by suspicion and humiliation. 

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Our country’s law-enforcement authorities stand ready in defence of the rule of law. Let us work together to keep communities, businesses and individuals safe, all the while protecting people’s right to protest.  
 
Throughout our history, we have overcome difficult moments not through fear or division, but by choosing law over lawlessness, dialogue over confrontation, and justice over vengeance. Let us once again choose that path. Let us protect both our borders and our Constitution, both our security and our humanity. We are capable of doing both, and we must.

INSIDE POLITICS

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