FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Monday, 31 January 2022
NEW LAWS STRENGTHEN THE FIGHT AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
Dear Fellow South African,
Late last year, I received a letter from a group of concerned citizens calling on the government to protect the women and children of this country from violence.
Pointing to an increase in rape and sexual assault, they wrote that as women they continue to live in fear; they are losing their faith in the law. I was deeply moved and touched by their account of the fear that the women of our country are subjected to on a daily basis.
In response to the suffering that women and children are subjected to we have passed laws designed to protect them. But despite penalties to remove perpetrators from society, women and children continue to suffer and die.
I called an emergency Joint Sitting of Parliament in September 2019, where I called on lawmakers to prioritise tightening existing laws and policies around gender-based violence.
I am pleased that despite the significant disruptions caused to the Parliamentary programme by the COVID-19 pandemic, our parliamentarians have passed laws that will strengthen existing provisions around gender-based violence.
Last week, I signed into law three pieces of legislation that honour our promises to strengthen the criminal justice system, promote accountability across the state and put support for survivors at the centre of all our efforts.
The new Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Act protects the vulnerable from secondary victimisation by allowing courts to appoint intermediaries through which a minor, a disabled person or an elderly person can be examined in proceedings.
It also allows for the extended use of evidence by means of an audio-visual link. This helps to shield a witness against harm, prevent unreasonable delays and save costs in proceedings.
At the Joint Sitting of Parliament, I said that the state should oppose bail for suspects charged with the rape and murder of women and children.
The new law significantly tightens up our bail regime.
A prosecutor who does not oppose bail in designated cases must have their reasons placed on record. The court must consider any threats of violence made against the complainant and the complainant’s view of their own safety. Unless the court is satisfied that exceptional circumstances exist that warrant release on bail, bail must be denied.
In the Joint Sitting of Parliament, I also said that we need to give greater protection to those who are more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, particularly those living with disabilities.
The new Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act outlaws sexual exploitation and grooming of persons with mental disabilities, and provides that sexual offences against persons who are mentally disabled must be recorded in the National Register of Sex Offenders (NRSO).
We have responded to calls to tighten up the management of the National Register of Sex Offenders. Those who have been convicted of sex crimes against children or mentally disabled persons, have previous convictions in this respect, and have been sentenced to terms longer than 18 months can only apply to have their names removed from the register after 20 years.
The Act further regulates the reporting duty of people who are aware that sexual offences have been committed against vulnerable persons.
The new Domestic Violence Amendment Act takes account of some of the complexities in violent domestic relationships.
We have tightened up the process of obtaining protection orders, and broadened the circumstances under which they can be applied for. We have addressed the issue of women and children being victimised despite having, or being in process of applying for, a protection order.
If a court believes a complainant is in imminent danger it can issue a protection order immediately without needing to give a respondent notice of the proceedings. Significantly, if the court releases someone charged with domestic violence on bail who does not have a protection order granted against them, the court must issue one after holding an enquiry. When the court issues a protection order it must at the same time authorise the issuing of an arrest warrant, suspended, that must be provided to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
If a SAPS member suspects a complainant is in danger due to breach of the order, they must arrest the respondent immediately.
The Act now expressly protects the elderly from all forms of domestic violence, and also permits complainants to apply for protection orders online, saving them time and travel costs. To protect complainants against further abuse, the court may an issue a Safety Monitoring Notice that will require a member of SAPS to be in constant contact with the complainant without the knowledge of the abuser.
I have repeatedly said that we should not allow survivors of gender-based violence to be further traumatised by the legal system.
Survivors of gender-based violence often complain of ill-treatment or disregard for their concerns when they lay complaints at police stations. SAPS members who fail to comply with their obligations under the new law will be guilty of misconduct.
All adult persons who have knowledge or suspicion that domestic violence is being perpetrated against a child, a person with a mental disability or an elderly person are obliged to report such acts to a social worker or to the police. Failure to do so is a criminal offence.
This puts into law the principle that violence against women and children is everyone’s responsibility. When a woman or child is beaten, hurt, raped, assaulted or killed, it is a shame on us all. It is even worse if we knew it was taking place and could have prevented it.
We must educate those suffering in silence about their rights and how to exercise them. Let us use these law laws to empower and protect women and children and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
Three years ago, in March 2019, I officially opened the new Sexual Offences Court in Booysens, Johannesburg.
I remember sitting in the court benches I was opening, thinking just how intimidating and traumatic it must be for a survivor of rape, sexual assault or domestic violence to navigate the court system. I thought about how much worse this must be if the complainant is a child, has a disability or has endured abuse over a prolonged period, and if the perpetrator is someone close to them.
Leaving an abusive relationship is never easy. But as the government, we have promised to provide the legal protection and support an abused person needs for themselves, their children and those close to them.
The passage of these new laws is a step in this direction. But it is not the solution. We must prevent violence and abuse from happening in the first place.
Working together as a society, we must use our voice, our agency and our reserves of courage to forever end the violence perpetrated by men against women and children.
With best regards,
This puts into law the principle that violence against women and children is everyone’s responsibility. When a woman or child is beaten, hurt, raped, assaulted or killed, it is a shame on us all. It is even worse if we knew it was taking place and could have prevented it.
We must educate those suffering in silence about their rights and how to exercise them. Let us use these law laws to empower and protect women and children and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
Three years ago, in March 2019, I officially opened the new Sexual Offences Court in Booysens, Johannesburg.
I remember sitting in the court benches I was opening, thinking just how intimidating and traumatic it must be for a survivor of rape, sexual assault or domestic violence to navigate the court system. I thought about how much worse this must be if the complainant is a child, has a disability or has endured abuse over a prolonged period, and if the perpetrator is someone close to them.
Leaving an abusive relationship is never easy. But as the government, we have promised to provide the legal protection and support an abused person needs for themselves, their children and those close to them.
The passage of these new laws is a step in this direction. But it is not the solution. We must prevent violence and abuse from happening in the first place.
Working together as a society, we must use our voice, our agency and our reserves of courage to forever end the violence perpetrated by men against women and children.
With best regards,
Cyril Ramaphosa
STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR SEOKOLO AT THE SECOND MEETING OF THE OPEN-ENDED WORKING GROUP ON SITES OF MEMORIES ASSOCIATED WITH RECENT CONFLICTS
NATIONAL STATEMENT BY SOUTH AFRICA ON THE OCCASION OF THE 1ST SUBSTANTIVE MEETING OF THE OPEN-ENDED WORKING GROUP OF STATES PARTIES TO THE WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTIONON SITES ASSOCIATED WITH MEMORIES OF RECENT CONFLICTS
Paris, 26 January 2022
Madam Chair,
South Africa wishes to thank you for convening this second meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group as mandated by the World Heritage Committee during its 44th Session held in July 2021.
We would like to assure you of Africa’s support and cooperation over the coming months as we strive to broaden the reflection on the issue of sites associated with memories of recent conflicts. The mandate of the Open-Ended Working Group is clearly articulated in Decision 44 COM of the World Heritage Committee.
This Open-Ended Working Group is expected to afford States Parties an opportunity to be heard on the matter of sites of memories of recent conflicts; incorporate those views that are currently not reflected in existing reports, and consider whether these sites do relate to the scope and purpose of the World Heritage Convention.
Madam Chair,
Following the Experts Meeting that was convened in 2020 by the Secretariat of the World Heritage Committee pursuant to the Committee’s decision of 2018 in Manama, a meeting of African Experts and Ministers was convened in April 2021 to continue reflections on this important subject.
Accordingly, the meeting concluded that sites associated with memories of recent conflicts do meet the purpose and scope of the 1972 World Heritage Convention. Our justification for the inscription of these sites is based on three factors: namely legal framework, philosophical and historical significance and on precedence. Allow me Madam Chair to briefly expand on each of these factors.
Legal
Firstly, ICOMOS in its 2020 Paper correctly asserted that the World Heritage List is the key outcome of the World Heritage Convention and should thus be seen as an important element of UNESCO’s main objective of contributing to peace and security in the world. Therefore the inscription of the sites of memories of recent conflicts is in line with the spirit of the World Heritage Convention.
Secondly, we agree that although the text of the World Heritage Convention sets out its purposes broadly, it did not clarify how sites associated with memories of recent conflicts might be defined as being of Outstanding Universal Value. Instead, it gave the World Heritage Committee the responsibility to define the necessary criteria. We note that since 1972 the purposes of the World Heritage Convention have been clarified through the definition of Outstanding Universal Value , defined in 1978 and and amended several times and formally defined in 2005. Importantly, “ the justification of Outstanding Universal Value is thus depended on the value of the property being considered as above national interests and having a commonality .. to all of mankind as part of the heritage of mankind”. Thus this relevance of properties to humanity as a whole is central to the World Heritage Convention” (ICOMOS).
Thirdly, one of the strengths of the World Heritage Convention which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, is the way it has reflected and responded to the changing perceptions of heritage over time. According to ICOMOS these changing shifts and perceptions have been largely reflected in the types of cultural properties that have been inscribed. Indeed by accommodating these changes the World Heritage List has become a mirror of what society values as heritage at each epoch. Thus a consideration of the sites of memories of recent conflicts with potential Outstanding Universal Value for the World Heritage Listing should be seen as part of the natural shifts of perception of heritage as well as the interest of contemporary societies.
Fourthly; the inscription of sites associated with memories of recent conflicts with outstanding Universal Value on the World Heritage List would be in line with the World Heritage Committee’s Global Strategy for a representative, Balanced and Credible World Heritage List. As you know the challenge of an imbalance in the World Heritage List is more pronounced in Africa, representing less than 10 per cent of the total sites on the list.
Lastly as Beazly and Cameron assert in their 2020 paper: If the World Heritage List is going to meet the needs of today’s society and the heritage that it seeks to preserve, and if sites of recent conflicts and other negative and divisive memories are being proposed for inscription, then these contemporary interests needed to be considered through a lens of World Heritage process and policy. It must be emphasized that sites associated with memories of recent conflicts are eligible for inscription under criterion VI if they are associated with an event or ideas of outstanding universal significance” We believe Madame Chair that these sites are associated with an event of outstanding universal significance.
Given the afore-mentioned reasons, it is evident that there is no legal or policy impediment for considering sites associated with memories of recent conflicts and that each type or category of heritage have to be assessed on its Outstanding Universal Value and on whether it advances the mission and purpose of UNESCO and the World heritage Convention.
Precedence
On Precedence Madame Chair and Distinguished Colleagues;
Examples already exist of sites of memory that the World Heritage Committee has considered of Outstanding Universal Value, all of which were inscribed on the World Heritage List under Criteria VI. These sites include, amongst others, Auschwitz Birkenau, which bears witness to the strength of the human spirit under conditions of adversity; Aapravasi Ghat, which represents the memories, traditions and values of a people who migrated to work in foreign lands and signalled the beginning of a new world economic order; the Genbaku Dome which is symbolic of the achievement of world peace for more than half a century; the Island of Goree, which bears testimony to the unprecedented human experience of the slave trade; and finally, Robben Island, which symbolizes the triumph of the human spirit, of freedom and of democracy over oppression.
Madam Chair,
As can be seen from the aforementioned sites currently inscribed on the World Heritage List, these sites not only meet the legal criteria, but also provide examples of a sound philosophical argument that sites of memory should be listed as sites of Outstanding Universal Value. Not only have they forged our common destiny as nations and continents, but they have provided an exchange and dialogue between cultures through the ideals of reconciliation and forgiveness. More importantly, they will educate future generations about the importance of human rights, non-discrimination, the dignity of others, and about tolerance and peace among nations. In 2010, Cameron defined these sites as “places that bear witness to human rights abuses, including genocide, slavery and other violations of freedom”. The World Heritage List therefore honours the great achievements of humankind and the strength of the human spirit to overcome extreme hardships.
An incorrect perception has therefore been created that all sites of memory represent “negative and divisive memories”. Expert reports ignored the fact that in my country, and in many other countries considering the submission of dossiers, the sites presented for listing primarily represent positive values which contribute towards intercultural dialogue and social cohesion. African experts have concluded that these positive values are consistent with the purpose and scope of the Convention and that the recommendation of the December 2019 expert meeting incorrectly pre-empted future considerations of sites of memory.
Madam Chair,
It is important to note that, when reflecting on the sites of precedence that have already been listed, these sites cannot be treated as representative of all future sites. In fact, there is no legal basis in the 1972 Convention that these sites could be considered on the principle of “symbolic representation”. As this principle cannot be found in the 1972 Convention, it cannot be held binding for future inscriptions. By allowing some sites of memory to be considered of universal importance and protection and others not, a perception is created that only sites associated with memory in certain regions are considered important, whilst others are not. The pain inflicted on mankind is not exclusive to the history of certain regions, but instead should be reflective of, and acknowledge, the experiences of societies in all regions of the world.
In conclusion, Madam Chair, South Africa, on behalf of the Africa Group, recommends that the outcome presented by the Open-Ended Working Group for consideration during the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee should incorporate all the reflections on this matter and in this regard we will submit on behalf of the Africa Group the Report and Declaration issued by the African Ministers responsible for culture following their meeting in April 2021 outlining Africa’s position and request that it forms part of the outcome of this process.
We also recommend that the Open-Ended Working Group should affirm the rights of each State Party to submit their dossiers including those associated with memories of recent conflicts under criterion VI and each file be considered in its own merit.
I thank you.
*The Open-ended Working Group was established to consider the views of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention on whether these sites do reflect the spirit of the World Heritage Convention as well as the objectives of UNESCO.
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Monday, 17 January 2022
Dear Fellow South African,
As South Africa entered the new year, we were confronted by two profound events that reminded us, in different ways, of what brings us together as a people.
On the first day of 2022, the nation gathered in spirit to bid farewell to Archbishop Desmond Tutu at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. It was a moment of great sadness as we recalled the life and contribution of a beloved compatriot who was, in many ways, the moral conscience of our nation. At the same time, his funeral was a celebration of the values he stood for. It was a celebration of the great unity and diversity of our people, and a reminder of the sacrifices made by so many to achieve our democracy.
On the second day of 2022, the country watched on in horror as a huge fire engulfed our Parliament, just a hundred metres from where we had gathered the day before to pay our last respects to Archbishop Tutu.
The fire, which spread quickly through the buildings that house both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces, took days to fully extinguish. We are relieved that there was no loss of life and that no-one was injured in the fire. We are extremely grateful to the firefighters who battled the blaze and finally extinguished it.
The investigations into the cause of the fire are now underway. We need to ensure that these investigations are thorough and concluded without delay. The country needs to know what happened.
Arrangements are being made to ensure that the work of Parliament can continue even if the buildings cannot be used. It is vital that Parliament continues to consider and pass laws that will transform society and continues to provide oversight and ensure accountability as government works to implement the mandate it received from the people.
Apart from the close proximity of St George’s Cathedral and Parliament, what connects these two events is that each reminds us of what brings us together as South Africans: our democracy.
We mourn Desmond Tutu because he was the spiritual father of our democracy. We despair at the devastation of our Parliamentary buildings because they are the seat of our democracy. They are the place where our new democratic Constitution was adopted just over 25 years ago, and where hundreds of transformative laws have been passed.
We may not always recognise it, but the fire at Parliament demonstrated how strongly South Africans feel about their democracy. It is a reminder also of how important it is that we work to strengthen and defend that democracy.
While the Parliamentary buildings have been damaged beyond use, the institution of Parliament continues its work in the service of the people. This is an important reminder that our democratic institutions are not defined by the buildings that house them, but by the work they do and by the confidence that the people have in them.
This is true of all the institutions of our democracy.
Just as the fire in Parliament was finally being extinguished, Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo submitted the first part of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. This part of the report details how several public institutions were infiltrated, looted and severely damaged. These include state owned enterprises like South African Airways, the Government Communication and Information System and the South African Revenue Service.
This part of the report paints a deeply disturbing picture of how key institutions of our democracy were compromised and undermined with criminal intent. Not only were significant amounts of money stolen, but these institutions were not able to properly fulfil the functions for which they were established.
The findings and recommendations of the Zondo Commission will help the country to rebuild these institutions and to hold those responsible to account. We must ensure that we use them to safeguard these institutions into the future so that they may never be captured again.
The things that we have read in the Zondo Commission report should strengthen our resolve to defend the institutions of our democracy, all the entities of our state and, indeed, our democratic constitutional order.
We must safeguard against any and all efforts to diminish our hard-won democracy – whether these efforts take the form of corruption in state owned enterprises, the subversion of our law enforcement agencies, the sabotage of our economic infrastructure, or attacks on the independence and integrity of our judiciary.
We need to protect our Constitution, our democratic state and the electoral process from anyone who wants to weaken our democracy and deny the South African people of their hard-won freedom.
As we head into a new year, there are many challenges that we must confront as we work to rebuild and recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we do so, let us draw strength and encouragement from our deep dedication to our democracy and our common desire to build a nation that is united, free and equal.
I wish you all the best for the year ahead.
On the first day of 2022, the nation gathered in spirit to bid farewell to Archbishop Desmond Tutu at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. It was a moment of great sadness as we recalled the life and contribution of a beloved compatriot who was, in many ways, the moral conscience of our nation. At the same time, his funeral was a celebration of the values he stood for. It was a celebration of the great unity and diversity of our people, and a reminder of the sacrifices made by so many to achieve our democracy.
On the second day of 2022, the country watched on in horror as a huge fire engulfed our Parliament, just a hundred metres from where we had gathered the day before to pay our last respects to Archbishop Tutu.
The fire, which spread quickly through the buildings that house both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces, took days to fully extinguish. We are relieved that there was no loss of life and that no-one was injured in the fire. We are extremely grateful to the firefighters who battled the blaze and finally extinguished it.
The investigations into the cause of the fire are now underway. We need to ensure that these investigations are thorough and concluded without delay. The country needs to know what happened.
Arrangements are being made to ensure that the work of Parliament can continue even if the buildings cannot be used. It is vital that Parliament continues to consider and pass laws that will transform society and continues to provide oversight and ensure accountability as government works to implement the mandate it received from the people.
Apart from the close proximity of St George’s Cathedral and Parliament, what connects these two events is that each reminds us of what brings us together as South Africans: our democracy.
We mourn Desmond Tutu because he was the spiritual father of our democracy. We despair at the devastation of our Parliamentary buildings because they are the seat of our democracy. They are the place where our new democratic Constitution was adopted just over 25 years ago, and where hundreds of transformative laws have been passed.
We may not always recognise it, but the fire at Parliament demonstrated how strongly South Africans feel about their democracy. It is a reminder also of how important it is that we work to strengthen and defend that democracy.
While the Parliamentary buildings have been damaged beyond use, the institution of Parliament continues its work in the service of the people. This is an important reminder that our democratic institutions are not defined by the buildings that house them, but by the work they do and by the confidence that the people have in them.
This is true of all the institutions of our democracy.
Just as the fire in Parliament was finally being extinguished, Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo submitted the first part of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. This part of the report details how several public institutions were infiltrated, looted and severely damaged. These include state owned enterprises like South African Airways, the Government Communication and Information System and the South African Revenue Service.
This part of the report paints a deeply disturbing picture of how key institutions of our democracy were compromised and undermined with criminal intent. Not only were significant amounts of money stolen, but these institutions were not able to properly fulfil the functions for which they were established.
The findings and recommendations of the Zondo Commission will help the country to rebuild these institutions and to hold those responsible to account. We must ensure that we use them to safeguard these institutions into the future so that they may never be captured again.
The things that we have read in the Zondo Commission report should strengthen our resolve to defend the institutions of our democracy, all the entities of our state and, indeed, our democratic constitutional order.
We must safeguard against any and all efforts to diminish our hard-won democracy – whether these efforts take the form of corruption in state owned enterprises, the subversion of our law enforcement agencies, the sabotage of our economic infrastructure, or attacks on the independence and integrity of our judiciary.
We need to protect our Constitution, our democratic state and the electoral process from anyone who wants to weaken our democracy and deny the South African people of their hard-won freedom.
As we head into a new year, there are many challenges that we must confront as we work to rebuild and recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we do so, let us draw strength and encouragement from our deep dedication to our democracy and our common desire to build a nation that is united, free and equal.
I wish you all the best for the year ahead.
President Cyril Ramaphosa
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Monday, 24 January 2022
Dear Fellow South African,
SCIENCE AND INNOVATION VITAL FOR OUR ECONOMIC RECOVERY
As the country strives to recover from the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing science and innovation playing a far more prominent role both in our efforts to overcome the disease and rebuild our economy.
Last week I attended the launch of a state-of-the-art vaccine manufacturing campus in Cape Town. The facility forms part of a multi-million rand investment by the multinational technology company NANTWorks, which is headed by South African born scientist Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong.
South Africa already has advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities in companies like Aspen Pharmacare, Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines and Biovac Institute, which is a public-private initiative.
These projects will greatly aid South Africa in our quest to become a hub of scientific innovation, research and development, especially in vaccine manufacturing for COVID-19, cancer, tuberculosis and other future pandemics.
Thousands of miles away, in Cape Canaveral in the United States, the aerospace company SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched three SA-made nanosatellites into space. The satellites form part of a project to detect, identify and monitor shipping vessels along our coastline.
These are just some of the projects that demonstrate how science and technology have a key role to play in our economic recovery, in attracting greater levels of investment, and in contributing to skills, knowledge and technology transfer to capacitate our country’s workforce.
We are therefore prioritising investment in science, technology and innovation to revitalise and modernise existing industries, as well as to create new sources of growth and stimulate industrialisation. There is huge potential in agriculture, mining, energy and manufacturing, among others.
This is an area where, as government, we have been pursuing several collaborative partnerships with the private sector and academia to broaden the frontiers of scientific endeavour.
We have, for example, undertaken projects around hydrogen, energy storage and renewable energy. We have supported emerging farmers through the Agricultural Bio-Innovation Partnership Programme. Government also has funding partnerships with a number of South African universities in the field of nanotechnology development.
We are looking far into space by enhancing the capabilities of the South African Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project and supporting a number of new discoveries using the MeerKAT telescope. At the same time we are using science to support and guide municipalities to plan for and assess the risks of climate change.
We are looking at how to harness new technologies for development, such as using 3D printing to build houses.
To build on our successes and forge ahead with our transformation to a truly digital economy and society, we rely on a combination of technical skill and intellectual enterprise.
Visiting the Biomedical Research Institute at the University of Stellenbosch last week, for which our government has invested R300 million, it was not so much the impressive laboratories that inspired awe, but rather the human skills and capabilities that had enabled such innovative research.
We need solid investment in skills development in these different industries, and a firm commitment to increase the number of students studying science, if we are to promote scientific excellence and its attendant economic benefits.
We will therefore continue to support initiatives such as the Grassroots Innovation Programme of the Department of Science and Innovation, which provides support to local innovators to develop their concepts, create prototypes and commercialise their ideas. There is also the Imvelisi Enviropreneurs Programme that has boot-camps and business mentoring for innovators in the green economy, and a host of other incubation initiatives being piloted on campuses across the country in areas such as deep learning, artificial intelligence and data science.
As we strive to harness science, technology and innovation in the cause of economic growth, we must provide all the necessary support to innovators and become a country that nurtures great ideas.
As we have demonstrated during the course of this pandemic, South Africa is more than capable of holding its own in the international scientific community. Through the combination of our established scientific infrastructure and expertise, new investment in research and development and support to budding innovators, we will and are able to propel our country into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
And most importantly, we will be able to more effectively use technology to grow our economy, create jobs and improve people’s lives.
With best regards,
President Cyril Ramaphosa
STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA ON FIRE AT PARLIAMENT PRECINCT
2 January 2022 - 4:30pm
I am deeply saddened by the scenes all of us are witnessing today as flames engulf the home of our democracy in the precinct of Parliament.
This is a disastrous event that should sadden all of us.
This is devastating, coming as it does a day after our send-off for Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Waking up to the destruction of Parliament is a terrible setback from what we were basking in yesterday.
The Archbishop would have been devastated as well, as this is a place he prayed for, supported and wanted to see as a repository of our democracy.
Notwithstanding the damage that has been done to this precinct, the work of Parliament will carry on.
My thoughts are with the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, the Acting Secretary to Parliament, the management and staff of Parliament; as well as Members of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces, and their support staff.
I am being briefed by the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, the Minister of Police and the Deputy Minister in the Presidency with responsibility for State Security.
We appreciate the speedy response of the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town in mobilising the response to this emergency.
The real praise and applause belongs to the fire officials and crews of the City of Cape Town who have done a great job.
While they have worked to stop Parliament from being razed to ashes, it is very clear that this fire has devastated the parliamentary precinct and its contents and assets, including Parliament’s historical treasures of heritage.
Parliament and the security agencies of government are looking into the cause of this incident and we must allow these investigation to continue.
While these investigations continue, I believe we are united as a nation in our sadness at this destruction of the home of our democracy.
I have recently requested the Speaker to convene a Joint Sitting of Parliament for the State of the Nation Address on Thursday, 10 February 2022.
In the wake of this devastating occurrence we will continue to consult on what we can do to ensure continuity in the functioning of Parliament as the critical institution in our democratic infrastructure.
ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Pretoria